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Bearclaw Bob's
- Thread starter bearclawbob
- Start date
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I would check the web cams or the road report
I going to say it will not be do to all the drifting.
The worst part was at the beginning off the Cody side but the road was almost completly drifted over by the rest area by the bridge. Looked like a small slide at the canyon but could of been a drift. If you do make it to cooke be careful the small hills around Star Like where falling by just driven under them. lost of cracking too.
I going to say it will not be do to all the drifting.
The worst part was at the beginning off the Cody side but the road was almost completly drifted over by the rest area by the bridge. Looked like a small slide at the canyon but could of been a drift. If you do make it to cooke be careful the small hills around Star Like where falling by just driven under them. lost of cracking too.
B
Sorry guys
Its a cold one today in Cooke city. I have to say I"m sorry for not responding to everyone. The road over Dead Indian is open. It opened yesterday at 3 pm. I also have been busy plowing snow. I had to go to town Monday and Tuesday to take a sled down and pick up two more. I've gotten my 2017 Arctic cat rental in. It's a M8000 green mountain cat.
For the weather today its going to be partly cloudy but by Saturday we could see snow again, 60% chance.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: This is a tricky time to travel in avalanche terrain. The snowpack appears to be getting stronger, but the potential remains to trigger large, catastrophic slides. Triggering a slide in these conditions often requires finding a specific spot where a skier or rider could impact the weak layer. Steep, wind loaded slopes with variable snow depths are high probability areas for triggering a slide. Today, it’s safe to assume that all steep, wind loaded slopes will produce avalanches with human triggers.
For this reason, the avalanche danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on wind loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. All other slopes have a MODERATE avalanche danger.
We closed for a couple of days and headed back to Nebraska to see family. We will be back on Christmas.
I hope everyone will have a wonderful Christmas and be safe on the roads if you are going to travel.
Its a cold one today in Cooke city. I have to say I"m sorry for not responding to everyone. The road over Dead Indian is open. It opened yesterday at 3 pm. I also have been busy plowing snow. I had to go to town Monday and Tuesday to take a sled down and pick up two more. I've gotten my 2017 Arctic cat rental in. It's a M8000 green mountain cat.
For the weather today its going to be partly cloudy but by Saturday we could see snow again, 60% chance.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: This is a tricky time to travel in avalanche terrain. The snowpack appears to be getting stronger, but the potential remains to trigger large, catastrophic slides. Triggering a slide in these conditions often requires finding a specific spot where a skier or rider could impact the weak layer. Steep, wind loaded slopes with variable snow depths are high probability areas for triggering a slide. Today, it’s safe to assume that all steep, wind loaded slopes will produce avalanches with human triggers.
For this reason, the avalanche danger is rated CONSIDERABLE on wind loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. All other slopes have a MODERATE avalanche danger.
We closed for a couple of days and headed back to Nebraska to see family. We will be back on Christmas.
I hope everyone will have a wonderful Christmas and be safe on the roads if you are going to travel.
Merry Christmas
What to thank everyone for staying with us and doing business in the town. Be safe on the Holiday.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good ride.
What to thank everyone for staying with us and doing business in the town. Be safe on the Holiday.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good ride.
PRIME RIB DINNER
The bakery is again doing her famous Prime rib dinner on New Years Eve. So if your going to be around New Years eve call for a reservation for the dinner.
The bakery is again doing her famous Prime rib dinner on New Years Eve. So if your going to be around New Years eve call for a reservation for the dinner.
More closers
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, we did. So the snowman gave us another 3 inches of snow over night. We could see another 3-5 inches for tomorrow with the temp's in the mid teens.
I see we have closures this morning in North Dakota on Interstate 94. Take your time getting out here.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: The mountains near Cooke City received less snow over the past 48 hours, but a weak layer of facets near the ground still shows signs of instability. Avalanches on this layer are possible to trigger and could be large and destructive. Careful snowpack and terrain evaluation is essential. Look for this sugary weak layer in a snowpit before committing to steep terrain, and don’t let previous tracks lure you into a false sense of safety.
Recent snow and wind added weight to a weak snowpack and formed wind slabs that are possible to trigger today. These smaller slides could be deadly in high consequence terrain, or they could trigger a larger avalanche on the layer of facets at the base of the snowpack. The avalanche danger today is CONSIDERABLE on wind loaded slopes, and MODERATE on all other slopes.
WE DO rent snowmobiles, call us for the best price in town.
New Years Eve PRIME RIB dinner Call for reservations.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, we did. So the snowman gave us another 3 inches of snow over night. We could see another 3-5 inches for tomorrow with the temp's in the mid teens.
I see we have closures this morning in North Dakota on Interstate 94. Take your time getting out here.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: The mountains near Cooke City received less snow over the past 48 hours, but a weak layer of facets near the ground still shows signs of instability. Avalanches on this layer are possible to trigger and could be large and destructive. Careful snowpack and terrain evaluation is essential. Look for this sugary weak layer in a snowpit before committing to steep terrain, and don’t let previous tracks lure you into a false sense of safety.
Recent snow and wind added weight to a weak snowpack and formed wind slabs that are possible to trigger today. These smaller slides could be deadly in high consequence terrain, or they could trigger a larger avalanche on the layer of facets at the base of the snowpack. The avalanche danger today is CONSIDERABLE on wind loaded slopes, and MODERATE on all other slopes.
WE DO rent snowmobiles, call us for the best price in town.
New Years Eve PRIME RIB dinner Call for reservations.
SNOW
Morning from Bearclaw / Bakery and the Super 8. The snowman is calling for today about 6 inches of fresh snow to fall by tonight. Between the snow and the winds its been bad. Had a trailer flip over before getting to Chief Joseph and then again on Chief Joseph. The last time they had to have it pulled off the guard rail. Livingston has HIGH wind warnings with gust up to 70 mph till Wednesday at noon.
Be careful when traveling with light trailers. (photo attached)
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: In the last three days the mountains around Cooke City have gotten less snow and wind than the other ranges, an anomaly. The snowpack is about 4-5 feet deep at the upper elevations. Facets at the ground and another weak layer in the upper third of the snowpack are the concern. Skiers felt collapsing on these layers, especially at the lower elevations where the snowpack is thinner. For today, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on wind-loaded slopes, and MODERATE on all other slopes.
Prime rib dinner is filling up. Call for your reservations:
I do fill Avy bottles or exchange the ABS bottles.
Why work on your sled out in the snow, come in and work in a warm garage. I do let you use my tools. You can even store your sled at night.
Rental sleds are: 2017 ski doo x package 154 850cc , 2017 ski doo 165 x package 850cc, 2017 m8000 mountain 163, carry over 2016 RMK Axys , They all rent for $235 per day.
Morning from Bearclaw / Bakery and the Super 8. The snowman is calling for today about 6 inches of fresh snow to fall by tonight. Between the snow and the winds its been bad. Had a trailer flip over before getting to Chief Joseph and then again on Chief Joseph. The last time they had to have it pulled off the guard rail. Livingston has HIGH wind warnings with gust up to 70 mph till Wednesday at noon.
Be careful when traveling with light trailers. (photo attached)
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: In the last three days the mountains around Cooke City have gotten less snow and wind than the other ranges, an anomaly. The snowpack is about 4-5 feet deep at the upper elevations. Facets at the ground and another weak layer in the upper third of the snowpack are the concern. Skiers felt collapsing on these layers, especially at the lower elevations where the snowpack is thinner. For today, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on wind-loaded slopes, and MODERATE on all other slopes.
Prime rib dinner is filling up. Call for your reservations:
I do fill Avy bottles or exchange the ABS bottles.
Why work on your sled out in the snow, come in and work in a warm garage. I do let you use my tools. You can even store your sled at night.
Rental sleds are: 2017 ski doo x package 154 850cc , 2017 ski doo 165 x package 850cc, 2017 m8000 mountain 163, carry over 2016 RMK Axys , They all rent for $235 per day.
snowing and windy
The morning went fast when your busy. Afternoon from snow covered town. The snowman is calling for 4 inches of snow today. Tomorrow we'll see sun
with the temp's in the upper teen's. We picked up about 4 inches over night.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: The mountains around Big Sky to Lionhead to Cooke City all received about .5” of snow water equivalent (SWE). This translates into 8-12” of low density powder. I am concerned about the weight of the new snow and wind-loading. This .5” of SWE is in addition to the 1” of SWE that fell over the weekend. Our snowpack has a weak, unstable foundation of sugary, faceted snow that will be straining to hold this new load. On Sunday in Bacon Rind, I had this layer collapse as I skied and also propagate in my snow pits. The next day in Taylor Fork my compression tests showed the same instability. Yesterday, I toured above Hebgen Lake and found a poor snowpack structure and inconclusive stability tests. Regardless, we opted to not ski avalanche terrain as I do not trust this faceted layer. The mountains around Cooke City have an additional concern: a thin layer of weak snow in the upper third of the snowpack. This layer collapsed under the weight of a skier over the weekend and likely has not become stable since then.
Strong westerly winds have been blowing for days at the ridgetops and willy-nilly at lower elevations. A foot of low-density powder won’t stand a chance of remaining intact. It will be blown into thick wind drifts that will avalanche and potentially break to the ground on the facets. For today, the avalanche danger is rated HIGH on all wind-loaded terrain and CONSIDERABLE on all other slopes.
Livingston still have strong wind warnings.
Chief Joseph is slippery and it will take you an extra hour to get over it.
Be careful when leaving your home and driving here, we want to see you.
The morning went fast when your busy. Afternoon from snow covered town. The snowman is calling for 4 inches of snow today. Tomorrow we'll see sun
with the temp's in the upper teen's. We picked up about 4 inches over night. AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: The mountains around Big Sky to Lionhead to Cooke City all received about .5” of snow water equivalent (SWE). This translates into 8-12” of low density powder. I am concerned about the weight of the new snow and wind-loading. This .5” of SWE is in addition to the 1” of SWE that fell over the weekend. Our snowpack has a weak, unstable foundation of sugary, faceted snow that will be straining to hold this new load. On Sunday in Bacon Rind, I had this layer collapse as I skied and also propagate in my snow pits. The next day in Taylor Fork my compression tests showed the same instability. Yesterday, I toured above Hebgen Lake and found a poor snowpack structure and inconclusive stability tests. Regardless, we opted to not ski avalanche terrain as I do not trust this faceted layer. The mountains around Cooke City have an additional concern: a thin layer of weak snow in the upper third of the snowpack. This layer collapsed under the weight of a skier over the weekend and likely has not become stable since then.
Strong westerly winds have been blowing for days at the ridgetops and willy-nilly at lower elevations. A foot of low-density powder won’t stand a chance of remaining intact. It will be blown into thick wind drifts that will avalanche and potentially break to the ground on the facets. For today, the avalanche danger is rated HIGH on all wind-loaded terrain and CONSIDERABLE on all other slopes.
Livingston still have strong wind warnings.
Chief Joseph is slippery and it will take you an extra hour to get over it.
Be careful when leaving your home and driving here, we want to see you.
80% chance
Morning from the busy little town. The snowman is calling for a 80% chance of snow today. We could see up to 6 inches. The temp is 30 degrees. Then we will see sunny skies for tomorrow. Recap from yesterday was a nice bright sunny day. Couldn't ask for a better day to ride. But we didn't pick up the snow last Tuesday night that the snowman had predicted.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: Recent avalanche activity has one thing in common – avalanches are occurring on wind loaded slopes. Yesterday, Alex was in Cooke City and observed multiple large natural avalanches that took place over the past few days (photo). Other skiers in the area also observed recent natural activity. Most slides are taking place on wind loaded slopes leeward to W-SW winds (photo). The larger slides appear to be failing on the facet-curst combination near the base of the snowpack. This facet-crust combination is most prevalent on upper elevation slopes facing north through east.
Slopes do not need this facet-crust combination to be unstable. Weak snow near the ground plagues the snowpack on all aspects and elevations across the advisory area. Doug found this layer to be reactive in stability tests at Bacon Rind and the Taylor Fork earlier in the week. Fortunately, this layer isn’t highly reactive on all slopes. Yesterday, my partners and I skied in Beehive Basin and found good snow quality and better stability on non-wind loaded slopes. Facets near the ground were a concern, but they weren’t propagating in stability tests. We felt comfortable skiing slopes up to thirty five degrees in non-wind loaded terrain.
Today, human triggered avalanches remain likely on wind loaded slopes which have a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. Non-wind loaded slopes have a MODERATE avalanche danger.
We are now renting BCA Link radio's. Stop in and get one.
In the line up of rental equipment we also rent snowpulse avy packs.
You've got one more day for booking a reservation for the Prime Rib dinner for New Years Eve.
Morning from the busy little town. The snowman is calling for a 80% chance of snow today. We could see up to 6 inches. The temp is 30 degrees. Then we will see sunny skies for tomorrow. Recap from yesterday was a nice bright sunny day. Couldn't ask for a better day to ride. But we didn't pick up the snow last Tuesday night that the snowman had predicted.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: Recent avalanche activity has one thing in common – avalanches are occurring on wind loaded slopes. Yesterday, Alex was in Cooke City and observed multiple large natural avalanches that took place over the past few days (photo). Other skiers in the area also observed recent natural activity. Most slides are taking place on wind loaded slopes leeward to W-SW winds (photo). The larger slides appear to be failing on the facet-curst combination near the base of the snowpack. This facet-crust combination is most prevalent on upper elevation slopes facing north through east.
Slopes do not need this facet-crust combination to be unstable. Weak snow near the ground plagues the snowpack on all aspects and elevations across the advisory area. Doug found this layer to be reactive in stability tests at Bacon Rind and the Taylor Fork earlier in the week. Fortunately, this layer isn’t highly reactive on all slopes. Yesterday, my partners and I skied in Beehive Basin and found good snow quality and better stability on non-wind loaded slopes. Facets near the ground were a concern, but they weren’t propagating in stability tests. We felt comfortable skiing slopes up to thirty five degrees in non-wind loaded terrain.
Today, human triggered avalanches remain likely on wind loaded slopes which have a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. Non-wind loaded slopes have a MODERATE avalanche danger.
We are now renting BCA Link radio's. Stop in and get one.
In the line up of rental equipment we also rent snowpulse avy packs.
You've got one more day for booking a reservation for the Prime Rib dinner for New Years Eve.
Sunny
Was a late night, had someone slide off in the park late last night. By the time I got home, the stars were out. We picked up about 2 inches in town and about 6 inches on the mountain. Today you will see sunny skies with temp's in the mid teen's and snow comes back into the picture tomorrow.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: There’s a high level of spatial variability in the snowpack. Some slopes are stable while others are not. The most significant factor creating unstable conditions is wind deposited snow. Earlier in the week, strong winds out of the W-SW formed dense wind drifts on leeward slopes. These drifts added a substantial amount of weight to facets near the ground. This setup recently produced large natural avalanches in the mountains around Cooke City . Alex observed numerous slides in that area over the past few days and has stayed off slopes steeper than 35 degrees.
New snow and wind over the past 24 hours likely developed fresh wind slabs that will be touchy to human triggers today. Slides originating in the new snow have the potential to step down to weak snow near the ground. The safe bet today will be avoid all wind loaded slopes.
Today, dangerous avalanche conditions exist on wind loaded slopes which have a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. Non-wind loaded slopes have a MODERATE avalanche danger.
Prime Rib dinner is tonight, Terri still has a few openings left. Call for a reservation or stop in.
Was a late night, had someone slide off in the park late last night. By the time I got home, the stars were out. We picked up about 2 inches in town and about 6 inches on the mountain. Today you will see sunny skies with temp's in the mid teen's and snow comes back into the picture tomorrow.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: There’s a high level of spatial variability in the snowpack. Some slopes are stable while others are not. The most significant factor creating unstable conditions is wind deposited snow. Earlier in the week, strong winds out of the W-SW formed dense wind drifts on leeward slopes. These drifts added a substantial amount of weight to facets near the ground. This setup recently produced large natural avalanches in the mountains around Cooke City . Alex observed numerous slides in that area over the past few days and has stayed off slopes steeper than 35 degrees.
New snow and wind over the past 24 hours likely developed fresh wind slabs that will be touchy to human triggers today. Slides originating in the new snow have the potential to step down to weak snow near the ground. The safe bet today will be avoid all wind loaded slopes.
Today, dangerous avalanche conditions exist on wind loaded slopes which have a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. Non-wind loaded slopes have a MODERATE avalanche danger.
Prime Rib dinner is tonight, Terri still has a few openings left. Call for a reservation or stop in.
Cool
Looked at the temp. gauge it was Zero this morning. The snowman is calling for a couple of inches of snow by tonight. The temp's are going to fall down to 7 below tonight and 15 below Monday night. Livingston is still in a winter storm warning until tomorrow.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone. Hope everyone had a great night.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS:Today’s advisory is sponsored by Cooke City Super 8/Bearclaw Bob’s and Montana Ale Works.
Throughout the advisory area there are layers of weak faceted snow near the ground. These layers sit above thick ice crusts at the base of the snowpack on some slopes, and sit directly on the ground on other slopes. Either way, these sugary weak layers have the potential to cause an avalanche. I was in Cooke City the past three days and saw large natural avalanches on heavily wind loaded, east to north facing slopes. These avalanches broke deep in the snowpack 4-5 days ago during snow and wind-loading. Without more recent heavy snowfall and wind-loading avalanches on these weak layers will be difficult to trigger, but will be large and destructive if they are triggered.
Recent moderate winds have drifted low density snow into small wind slabs that will be possible to trigger today. These small slides can be deadly in high consequence terrain or could trigger a larger avalanche deeper in the snowpack. Use cautious route finding to avoid or minimize time on steep wind loaded slopes (photo), and carefully assess the snowpack if you plan to travel on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. The avalanche danger today is MODERATE.
The prime rib was a great success again this year. We had 40 people come to it.
Don't forget I work on sleds or you can work on your own in a heated garage. You can also store your sled over night.
Looked at the temp. gauge it was Zero this morning. The snowman is calling for a couple of inches of snow by tonight. The temp's are going to fall down to 7 below tonight and 15 below Monday night. Livingston is still in a winter storm warning until tomorrow.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone. Hope everyone had a great night.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS:Today’s advisory is sponsored by Cooke City Super 8/Bearclaw Bob’s and Montana Ale Works.
Throughout the advisory area there are layers of weak faceted snow near the ground. These layers sit above thick ice crusts at the base of the snowpack on some slopes, and sit directly on the ground on other slopes. Either way, these sugary weak layers have the potential to cause an avalanche. I was in Cooke City the past three days and saw large natural avalanches on heavily wind loaded, east to north facing slopes. These avalanches broke deep in the snowpack 4-5 days ago during snow and wind-loading. Without more recent heavy snowfall and wind-loading avalanches on these weak layers will be difficult to trigger, but will be large and destructive if they are triggered.
Recent moderate winds have drifted low density snow into small wind slabs that will be possible to trigger today. These small slides can be deadly in high consequence terrain or could trigger a larger avalanche deeper in the snowpack. Use cautious route finding to avoid or minimize time on steep wind loaded slopes (photo), and carefully assess the snowpack if you plan to travel on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. The avalanche danger today is MODERATE.
The prime rib was a great success again this year. We had 40 people come to it.
Don't forget I work on sleds or you can work on your own in a heated garage. You can also store your sled over night.
BRRRRRRRRRR
This mornings temp was 13 below. It didn't get as cold as the snowman had said. We could see a little snow today. Tonight the low is going to be 7 below and 4 will be the high on Wednesday.
MoM's motor sports showed up at 7 am and I'v been plowing places for the semi to park. I was sure glad to see them. Jacob is broke down over by Miles City. He should show up later today.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: Today’s advisory is sponsored by Bountiful Table and Edward Jones.
A layer of weak sugary snow undermines the snowpack. Digging to the ground reveals a foundation of low-density crumbly snow (depth hoar) supporting 3-7 feet of denser snow. This structure is untenable and was responsible for a natural avalanche on Sunday in the northern Gallatin Range in Storm Castle Creek on a steep wind-loaded slope as well as an avalanche cycle outside Cooke City last week. Without snowfall and strong wind in the last 36 hours this layer is getting a breather from loading. The likelihood of triggering an avalanche is decreasing, yet still possible. I was in Cooke City over the weekend and found that impacting the weak layer near the ground is getting difficult except in thinner areas where a rider or skier could still trigger a slide. For today, the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE on all slopes throughout our advisory area.
Recap for yesterday was 3 above and sunny. Wasn't very many people riding, to cold.
This mornings temp was 13 below. It didn't get as cold as the snowman had said. We could see a little snow today. Tonight the low is going to be 7 below and 4 will be the high on Wednesday.
MoM's motor sports showed up at 7 am and I'v been plowing places for the semi to park. I was sure glad to see them. Jacob is broke down over by Miles City. He should show up later today.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: Today’s advisory is sponsored by Bountiful Table and Edward Jones.
A layer of weak sugary snow undermines the snowpack. Digging to the ground reveals a foundation of low-density crumbly snow (depth hoar) supporting 3-7 feet of denser snow. This structure is untenable and was responsible for a natural avalanche on Sunday in the northern Gallatin Range in Storm Castle Creek on a steep wind-loaded slope as well as an avalanche cycle outside Cooke City last week. Without snowfall and strong wind in the last 36 hours this layer is getting a breather from loading. The likelihood of triggering an avalanche is decreasing, yet still possible. I was in Cooke City over the weekend and found that impacting the weak layer near the ground is getting difficult except in thinner areas where a rider or skier could still trigger a slide. For today, the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE on all slopes throughout our advisory area.
Recap for yesterday was 3 above and sunny. Wasn't very many people riding, to cold.
Warmer
Morning from Bearclaw / Bakery and the Super 8 in Cooke city.
The snowman gave us warmer temps this morning, its 9 below.
Today we have a 30% by tomorrow we will see sun for the next 3 days. By the weekend the snow moves back in and it gets warmer.
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: In the last 48 hours the likelihood of triggering an avalanche has decreased. Our last substantial snowfall was on Friday and winds have calmed since Sunday. In the absence of finding fresh avalanches or collapsing or cracking as we travel, we lean on snowpits and tests to gather stability data. Stability tests have not been breaking on many slopes. Although this does not directly point to safe conditions for a specific slope (tests prove instability, not stability), it is evidence that the weak layer of sugary depth hoar at the ground is not hair-trigger on a large scale. Red flags of instability are absent yet the poor snow structure cannot be ignored. Fist hardness snow at the ground (low density) supporting meaty, 1-finger slabs does not inspire confidence. Just peek at our snowpits to see what I mean (on the graph, think of the layers as teetering building blocks).
This week’s frigid, subzero temperatures will weaken the basal layer even more. This eroding strength is like watering down an already weak cup of coffee; no good things will come of it.
Without new snow or wind-loading, slopes are trending towards stability. Although the likelihood of triggering an avalanche has lowered, the deadly consequences of an avalanche breaking at the ground has not. It’s still possible to trigger steep slopes, especially from thinner areas. I discovered this in Cooke City on Sunday when I found my stability tests propagating fractures that could easily extend under nearby wind slabs. For today the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees. Shallower angled slopes have a LOW danger.
Morning from Bearclaw / Bakery and the Super 8 in Cooke city.
The snowman gave us warmer temps this morning, its 9 below.
Today we have a 30% by tomorrow we will see sun for the next 3 days. By the weekend the snow moves back in and it gets warmer. AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: In the last 48 hours the likelihood of triggering an avalanche has decreased. Our last substantial snowfall was on Friday and winds have calmed since Sunday. In the absence of finding fresh avalanches or collapsing or cracking as we travel, we lean on snowpits and tests to gather stability data. Stability tests have not been breaking on many slopes. Although this does not directly point to safe conditions for a specific slope (tests prove instability, not stability), it is evidence that the weak layer of sugary depth hoar at the ground is not hair-trigger on a large scale. Red flags of instability are absent yet the poor snow structure cannot be ignored. Fist hardness snow at the ground (low density) supporting meaty, 1-finger slabs does not inspire confidence. Just peek at our snowpits to see what I mean (on the graph, think of the layers as teetering building blocks).
This week’s frigid, subzero temperatures will weaken the basal layer even more. This eroding strength is like watering down an already weak cup of coffee; no good things will come of it.
Without new snow or wind-loading, slopes are trending towards stability. Although the likelihood of triggering an avalanche has lowered, the deadly consequences of an avalanche breaking at the ground has not. It’s still possible to trigger steep slopes, especially from thinner areas. I discovered this in Cooke City on Sunday when I found my stability tests propagating fractures that could easily extend under nearby wind slabs. For today the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees. Shallower angled slopes have a LOW danger.
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