Good afternoon. This is Alex Marienthal with early season snowpack information issued at 3 p.m. on Monday, November 16th. Today’s information is sponsored by Spark R&D in partnership with the Friends of the Avalanche Center. This information will be updated as weather and snow conditions change.
Winter made an appearance this morning and delivered four inches of snow to the Bridger Range and three inches at Big Sky. Other areas did not record any significant snowfall. Temperatures are dropping this afternoon with lows in the teens and highs in the 30s F expected through the week. Scattered snow showers are expected from Tuesday through Thursday with an accumulation of 4-6” on Thursday night. Winds will be between 30 and 50 mph from Tuesday through Wednesday with gusts up to 60 mph on Wednesday near Bozeman.
New snow amounts this morning were three to four inches in the Bridger Range and near Big Sky. Last week, Eric and I toured near Sacajawea Peak and found variable snow depth and a relatively strong snowpack (video, snowpit). The snowfall this morning added minimal weight to the snowpack. However, wind over the next few days will transport the new snow and create wind slabs that may be easy to trigger throughout the week.
Yesterday, Doug went to Beehive Basin and was surprised to be able to skin from the car. The snow was just over a foot deep and he found small facets under the surface (photo, video). These are not currently a concern, but these facets will continue to grow this week with cold temperatures (photo). This weak layer may be an issue once it gets buried deeper.
Snow depth in Cooke City is over 30 inches above 9,500 feet (photo), and folks have been reporting stable results in stability tests. Meanwhile, snow depths throughout the rest of the area range from 15-20 inches. Either way, there’s enough snow to avalanche resulting in a burial or serious injury. Continue to look for weak snow and perform a stability test before riding or skiing a slope. Travel in all avalanche terrain like it is mid-winter: carry rescue gear, travel with a partner, and only place one person at a time on a slope. This applies to everyone: skiers, climbers, snowmobilers, and hunters.
We will begin issuing danger ratings when there is more snowfall. Meanwhile, we will update this information as conditions change. We need your observations, so please drop us a line at mtavalanche@gmail.com if you get out.
mtavalanche.com Website
We are making a few changes to our weather page. Although most of the stations are up and running, it’ll be a week before we get things posted in a new graphical and numerical format.
AVALANCHE EDUCATION
A complete calendar of classes can be found HERE.
November 17, 6 p.m.: Billings, Avalanche Awareness at Basecamp.
November 18, 6 p.m.: Bozeman, Avalanche Awareness at MSU Roskie Hall
November 18, 7 p.m.: Big Sky, Avalanche Awareness at Grizzly Outfitters.
November 19, 7 p.m.: Big Timber, Avalanche Awareness at Sweet Grass County High School
MSU - Introduction to Avalanches with Field Course
Workshops are held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, with a field course on Saturday. Different topics are presented each evening. Topics include: avalanche terrain recognition, the affect weather has on avalanche hazard, the development of the mountain snowpack, decision making skills, and basic search and rescue procedures.
December 2, 3 and 5 or 6, 2015: https://www.ticketriver.com/event/16858
West Yellowstone: Snowmobiler Introduction to Avalanches with Field Course
Five hours of lectures are followed by a full day field course. Topics include: avalanche terrain recognition, the affect weather has on avalanche hazard, the development of the mountain snowpack, decision making skills, and basic search and rescue procedures.
December 17 and 18, 2015: https /www.ticketriver.com/event/17356