Trip Planning for Southern Gallatin

as of 5:00 am
Today4″ | 15-25 SW
Mar 20 0″ | 15-23 SW
Mar 19 0″ | 15-28 SW
9460′     03/21 at 06:00
9.7℉
SW - 8mph
Gusts 15 mph
9000′     03/21 at 06:00
15℉
90″ Depth
Bottom Line: The mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky received 2-4” of new snow. The primary concern is large avalanches breaking deep within the snowpack on persistent weak layers. Manage this problem with conservative terrain choices. Pick smaller slopes with less exposure to the wind and without complicating factors like cliffs and rocks, or stay in terrain less than 30 degrees. A secondary concern is avalanches within the new snow. Watch for signs of shallower instability like shooting cracks and recent avalanche activity if you plan to enter avalanche terrain.
Primary Problem: Persistent Weak Layer

Past 5 Days

Fri Mar 17

Considerable
Sat Mar 18

Considerable
Sun Mar 19

Moderate
Mon Mar 20

Moderate
Today

Moderate

Relevant Avalanche Activity

Southern Gallatin
Electric Peak
Avalanche on Approach To Electric Pk
Incident details include images
Electric Peak
HS-N-R3-D2-O
Elevation: 7,500
Aspect: NE
Coordinates: 45.0609, -110.8050
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

Slab avalanche on NE facing slope at 7,500 feet - slid to the ground.   


More Avalanche Details
Southern Gallatin
Bacon Rind
Natural Avalanche Gallatin River near Bacon Rind
Incident details include images
Bacon Rind
SS-N-R3-D2-U
Elevation: 7,300
Aspect: SW
Coordinates: 44.9609, -111.1000
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

We saw a natural avalanche that likely failed this morning near the Gallatin River across from Bacon Rind. 


More Avalanche Details
Southern Gallatin
Electric Peak
Electric Peak Avalanches
Incident details include images
Electric Peak
Coordinates: 45.0080, -110.8370
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

Via IG: “Electric peak via Betty gulch avalanches. Assuming they are natural!”


More Avalanche Details

Relevant Photos

Displaying 1 - 32
  • Slab avalanche on NE facing slope at 7,500 feet - slid to the ground. Photo: K. Gordon

  • Slab avalanche on NE facing slope at 7,500 feet - slid to the ground. Photo: K. Gordon

  • Via IG: “Electric peak via Betty gulch avalanches. Assuming they are natural!” Photo: R Rose

  • Via IG: “Electric peak via Betty gulch avalanches. Assuming they are natural!” Photo: R Rose

  • Via IG: “Electric peak via Betty gulch avalanches. Assuming they are natural!” Photo: R Rose

  • From IG message: "3 different slides lionhead area. One was very big the run out was 20 feet tall and quarter mile long" Photo: T. Urell

  • On Buck Ridge today (3/5/23) we found fresh, unstable drifts. This fresh slab was 4-6" deep. Cracking like this is a sign that wind slabs will avalanche on steeper slopes. Photo: GNFAC

  • Skier triggered avalanche on Elephant Mtn. 3/4/23. SS-ASu-R2-D1.5-I

    Vertical Fall: ~700' Distance Traveled: ~1000' Aspect: 15 N Elevation of start zone: 9645'

  • Skier triggered deep slab avalanche on NE face of Hyalite Peak 3/4/23.

  • From IG: Skiers near Mt. Blackmore on 2/24 saw a large avalanche on the east side of Mt. Blackmore that appeared to have happened in the last 24 hours.

  • From email 2/24/23: "Came across this very large cornice that appeared to have broken naturally sometime in the past 24 hours. Saw a few others that had broken recently throughout our tour, but none as large as this." E. Heiman

  • From email 2/24/23: "Triggered a small 2’ deep wind slab in new snow this afternoon.  NNE aspect 9,500’, approximately 38° slope.  Riding was excellent on all high North facing slopes and this was the only sign of instability we saw all day.  Wind was howling on the way out, lots of snow coming out of the trees and transporting at ridge tops."

  • Surface hoar can often be seen as a grey stripe on the wall of your snowpit as was the case at Bacon Rind in the Southern Madison Range on 1/23. Photo: GNFAC

  • On a Jan. 16 tour into Beehive, we found the concerning layer of feathery surface hoar buried under 6" of snow. It is widespread from Big Sky through West Yellowstone and Cooke City. It has produced avalanches near Hebgen Lake, with more snow, it will likely produce avalanches in Beehive too. Photo: GNFAC

  • Darren Johnson was a passionate skier, patroller, and wildland firefighter and this fund helps his memory live on. During the week of January 16, 2023, there are two events happening to help spread awareness about the DJ Fund and generate donations for the next recipients to attend National Avalanche School in October 2024. The first event is at the Independent Theatre on Tuesday, January 17. This charity event has a $10 entry fee which includes a raffle ticket to a silent auction. On Thursday, January 19, join us at Beehive Basin Brewery for a raffle and pint night in which $1 from every pint sold goes into the DJ Memorial Fund.

    To donate to the Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial Fund visit djmemorialfund.org, or join us at these two exciting events hosted by Yellowstone Club Ski Patrol. Huge thanks to all who have sponsored and donated to these events.

  • Skier unintentionally triggered and was caught in wind slab avalanche on the Y couloir in Sheep Creek Drainage. Skier was carried 10m before self arresting. The slide ran ~250m down and broke across the entire width of the couloir. There were no injuries and skied away. 

  • We looked at the avalanche that killed a snowmobiler yesterday (12/31/22) on Crown Butte near Cooke City. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim, and those involved with the rescue and recovery. Photo: GNFAC

  • On December 31, 2022 a snowmobiler was killed in a very large avalanche north of Cooke City, MT. The avalanche occurred near Daisy Pass on Crown Butte on a southeast facing slope at 9,800’. The avalanche appeared to be 2-4' deep, 500' wide, 600' vertical, and broke on weak snow near the bottom of the snowpack. Photo: GNFAC

  • Many slick roofs shed this winter's snow with the above-freezing temperatures. There are some impressive fracture lines at the ice rink in Bogert Park in Bozeman. Photo: GNFAC

  • We dug a pit at 9,000 feet on a SE facing slope above Hebgen Lake. We found weak snow under a slab that broke with an ECTP26. Photo: GNFAC

  • From obs 12/3/22: "Looking east from the top of [Ernie Miller] ridge, we noted another crown on a west aspect that looked to be about 100' wide and deep." Photo: H. Darby

  • From obs 12/3/22: "Looking toward Ernie Miller ridge, we noted an old crown in the main bowl just below the summit. It was on an E-NE aspect, 200 or more feet wide and looked to be filled in with new snow but was still visible." Photo: H.Darby

  • From obs 12/3/22: "Toured up to Bacon Rind today and skied meadows off of the ridge. Dug a pit at 8700' on a W aspect. HS was 70cm. We got an ECTP12 45 cm up from the ground at the interface between wind packed snow and a layer of .5-1mm facets and mixed forms. That layer made up the bottom 45cm of the snowpack in that area. Dug another pit at 8800' on an E aspect. HS was 115cm. We got an ECTP 14 50cm up from the ground on that same interface as described above. The bottom 50cm of the snowpack looked to be facets and mixed forms. The upper 65cm in that area was a mixture of different layers of wind packed grains that ranged from F to 4F hardness." Photo: H. Darby

  • From obs 12/3/22: "Toured up to Bacon Rind today and skied meadows off of the ridge. Dug a pit at 8700' on a W aspect. HS was 70cm. We got an ECTP12 45 cm up from the ground at the interface between wind packed snow and a layer of .5-1mm facets and mixed forms. That layer made up the bottom 45cm of the snowpack in that area. Dug another pit at 8800' on an E aspect. HS was 115cm. We got an ECTP 14 50cm up from the ground on that same interface as described above. The bottom 50cm of the snowpack looked to be facets and mixed forms. The upper 65cm in that area was a mixture of different layers of wind packed grains that ranged from F to 4F hardness." Photo: H. Darby

  • At 1:30pm on 11/23 I intentionally triggered a fresh drift of snow in a narrow avalanche path along the edge of the north bowl at Bridger. Northeast aspect at 7,600’ elevation. The crown was 6-8” deep consisting of snow that fell today, 20’ wide and ran 250’ vertical. SS-ASc-R2-D1.5-I. Photo: GNFAC

  • Big Sky ski patrol triggered these slides with explosives on 11/22 during routine avalanche mitigation work. The avalanches were hard slabs that averaged 12" deep and broke on a weak layer above a crust on top of snow that fell in October. Photo: BSSP

  • Big Sky ski patrol triggered these slides with explosives on 11/22 during routine avalanche mitigation work. The avalanches were hard slabs that averaged 12" deep and broke on a weak layer above a crust on top of snow that fell in October. Photo: BSSP

  • Observer reported "A number of Avalanche Crowns on an east aspect at 9500 ft." in Tepee Basin.

  • An observer reported "A number of Avalanche Crowns on an east aspect at 9500 ft." in Tepee Basin

  • From obs: "Skied Hyalite Peak today and found a wind slab ~10cm deep. Ski cut a small cornice below the main face and broke a small slide that carried ~20’ with little energy with a ~25’ wide crown" Photo: C. Crowe

  • Evidence of wind-loading creating the conditions for avalanches in the Bridger Range. Cracking is an indicator of instability. The observer noted this was "Nothing consequential," but this shows that unstable drifts are forming. They will be more consequential where there is more snow and as the wind creates larger drifts. Photo: E Smith

Videos- Southern Gallatin

WebCams


Electric Peak

Roosevelt Arch

Snowpit Profiles- Southern Gallatin

 

Select a snowpit on the map to view the profile image

Weather Stations- Southern Gallatin

Weather Forecast Southern Gallatin

Extended Forecast for

17 Miles SE Big Sky MT

  • Today

    Today: Snow showers likely, mainly between 3pm and 5pm.  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. South southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.  Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

    Chance Snow
    Showers then
    Snow Showers
    Likely

    High: 30 °F

  • Tonight

    Tonight: A chance of snow showers before 9pm, then a chance of snow showers after 3am.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable  after midnight.  Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

    Chance Snow
    Showers

    Low: 14 °F

  • Wednesday

    Wednesday: Snow showers, mainly after 8am.  High near 30. East northeast wind 3 to 7 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

    Snow Showers

    High: 30 °F

  • Wednesday
    Night

    Wednesday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow showers, mainly before midnight.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable.  New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

    Chance Snow
    Showers then
    Slight Chance
    Snow Showers

    Low: 13 °F

  • Thursday

    Thursday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers.  Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Southwest wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.  New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

    Chance Snow
    Showers

    High: 33 °F

  • Thursday
    Night

    Thursday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow showers.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. South southwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

    Chance Snow
    Showers

    Low: 18 °F

  • Friday

    Friday: Snow showers.  High near 26. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.  Chance of precipitation is 100%.

    Snow Showers
    and Breezy

    High: 26 °F

  • Friday
    Night

    Friday Night: Snow showers likely, mainly before midnight.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9. Breezy.  Chance of precipitation is 60%.

    Snow Showers
    Likely and
    Breezy then
    Chance Snow
    Showers

    Low: 9 °F

  • Saturday

    Saturday: Snow showers likely, mainly after noon.  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

    Snow Showers
    Likely

    High: 23 °F

The Last Word

Over the last ten days, five people were killed in avalanches in the U.S. A total of 19 people have been killed in avalanches in the U.S. this season. More info on each event is available at Avalanche.org Accidents Page.

03 / 20 / 23  <<  
 
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