24-25
Thin at Hebgen
Date
Activity
Skiing
Skinned across Hebgen Lake from the Kirkwood trailhead and ascended to the ridgeline above Trapper Creek. Snowpack was consistently 2-2.5ft deep throughout our tour. Got two small collapses on the ascent when we deviated from the established skin track. Dug on a SE facing slope at 9000 ft (just off the ridgeline) and got no results in an Extended Column Test (ECTX). The column smooshed under the shovel as I tapped, seemingly indicating that there wasn't enough of a cohesive slab above the weak layers. Got a larger collapse as we descended to a second snowpit site. Stopped and dug in the place where we got the whumpf. This pit was at 8500 ft on a south aspect. There was a thin melt-freeze crust over the basal facets here. This appears to be what gave the slab enough stiffness to propagate a fracture. ECTP12. Stepping out of skis you stepped all the way to the ground at both pit sites.
With the recent load of new snow on weak snow near the ground, we developed a plan at the car to avoid all slopes steeper than 30 degrees and stuck to that plan.
Region
Lionhead Range
Location (from list)
Hebgen Lake
Observer Name
Ian Hoyer
Small snowmobile triggered avalanche in Taylor Fork
Taylor Fork
Southern Madison
Code
SS-AMu-R1-D1-O
Latitude
45.06070
Longitude
-111.27200
Notes
From text message: a snowmobile triggered a small persistent slab avalanche in the Taylor Fork on Tuesday. The rider was not caught.
On a nearby slope, a larger avalanche failed 150 wide on weak layers near the ground.
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Soft slab avalanche
Trigger
Snowmobile
Trigger Modifier
u-An unintentional release
R size
1
D size
1
Bed Surface
O - Old snow
Problem Type
Persistent Slab
Slab Thickness
18.0 inches
Vertical Fall
15ft
Slab Width
20.00ft
Snow Observation Source
Slab Thickness units
inches
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Multiple Avalanches
Advisory Year
A snowmobile triggered a small persistent slab avalanche in the Taylor Fork on Tuesday. The rider was not caught. Photo: O. El-Zaru
Avalanche Details: Small snowmobile triggered avalanche in Taylor Fork
Southern Madison, 2025-01-01
Small snowmobile triggered avalanche in Taylor Fork
Date
Activity
Snowmobiling
From text message: a snowmobile triggered a small persistent slab avalanche in the Taylor Fork on Tuesday. The rider was not caught.
On a nearby slope, a larger avalanche failed 150 wide on weak layers near the ground.
Region
Southern Madison
Location (from list)
Taylor Fork
Observer Name
Omar El-Zaru
Large storm slab avalanches in North Bridgers
Northern Bridgers
Bridger Range
Code
SS-N-R2-D2-S
Elevation
7800
Aspect Range
E
Latitude
45.87420
Longitude
-110.95100
Notes
We went out today and saw the crown of this avalanche around 2-3pm. Looked quite fresh.
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Soft slab avalanche
Trigger
Natural trigger
R size
2
D size
2
Bed Surface
S - Avalanche released within new snow
Problem Type
Storm Slab
Images
Snow Observation Source
Slab Thickness units
centimeters
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year
There were many large storm slab avalanches in the northern Bridgers on Monday and Tuesday during the avalanche warning. Photo: C Kussmaul
Large storm slab avalanches in North Bridgers
Date
Activity
Skiing
From Instagram story tag: there were many large storm slab avalanches in the northern Bridgers on Monday and Tuesday during the avalanche warning.
Region
Bridger Range
Location (from list)
Northern Bridgers
Observer Name
Chris Kussmaul
Around 7 p.m. Monday night, a few miles up Portal Creek, triggered from bottom of slope.