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IDAHO: Island Park / West Yellowstone 2012 /2013 Snow Reports

That is great news!

Our crew will be there starting on the (feb)15th, through the 21st
 
Word on the street is the snow is deep! And it's supposed to keep coming till Friday!
 
The SnoTel Snow Graphs look AWESOME.

This weekend could be EPIC!!

<table bgcolor="white" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td colspan="6" style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; " valign="bottom">Montana Site - Black Bear (347)</td> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 17pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 38pt;">
</td> <td colspan="6" style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; " valign="bottom">(As of: Wed Jan 30 16:26:10 PST 2013)
**Provisional data, subject to revision**
</td> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 38pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 38pt;">
</td> <td style="background-color: #0066A3; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: #808080; padding-top: 2pt; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1pt; border-left-color: #808080; padding-left: 2pt; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: #808080; padding-bottom: 2pt; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: #808080; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="middle">Date</td> <td style="background-color: #0066A3; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: #808080; padding-top: 2pt; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1pt; border-left-color: #808080; padding-left: 2pt; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: #808080; padding-bottom: 2pt; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: #808080; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="middle">Snow Water
Equivalent
(in)
</td> <td style="background-color: #0066A3; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: #808080; padding-top: 2pt; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1pt; border-left-color: #808080; padding-left: 2pt; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: #808080; padding-bottom: 2pt; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: #808080; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="middle">Change In
Snow Water
Equivalent
</td> <td style="background-color: #0066A3; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: #808080; padding-top: 2pt; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1pt; border-left-color: #808080; padding-left: 2pt; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: #808080; padding-bottom: 2pt; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: #808080; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="middle">Snow
Depth
(in)
</td> <td style="background-color: #0066A3; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: #808080; padding-top: 2pt; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1pt; border-left-color: #808080; padding-left: 2pt; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-bottom-color: #808080; padding-bottom: 2pt; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1pt; border-right-color: #808080; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="middle">Change In
Snow
Depth
</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 38pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-23</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">22.9</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; " valign="bottom">
</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">71</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; " valign="bottom">
</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-24</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">22.9</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0.0</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">70</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">-1</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-25</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">23.3</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0.4</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">72</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">2</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-26</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">23.5</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0.2</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">72</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-27</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">24.4</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0.9</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">77</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">5</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-28</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">25.0</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0.6</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">83</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">6</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-29</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">25.2</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0.2</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">85</td> <td style="padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">2</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td style="width: 15pt; height: 15pt;">
</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: center;" valign="bottom">2013-01-30</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">25.4</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">0.2</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">89</td> <td style="background-color: #E6E6E6; padding-top: 2pt; padding-left: 2pt; padding-bottom: 2pt; padding-right: 2pt; text-align: right;" valign="bottom">4</td> <td colspan="2" style="width: 277pt; height: 15pt;">
</td></tr></tbody></table>




image



7-DAY FORECAST


  • Tonight Snow, mainly before 11pm. Low around 17. South southwest wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
  • Thursday A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. South southwest wind 6 to 11 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
  • Thursday Night Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 17. South southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
  • Friday Snow likely, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. South southwest wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
  • Friday Night A 20 percent chance of snow before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 7. South wind 3 to 8 mph.
  • Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 31.
  • Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 8.
  • Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 32.
  • Sunday Night A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14.
 
Last edited:
Over the hood pow all day yesterday! Some places up high seem to have 2-3 ft of fresh powder. This weekend will be great up here if anyone is wondering. Wish i knew how to put pics on here.
 
<table border="0" width="500"><tbody><tr><td title="Select the site name for additional information and reports for BLACK BEAR " align="center">BLACK BEAR SNOTEL Data Report - Daily Readings

</td></tr> <tr><td align="center">Basin: Madison (HUC 10020007) Elevation: 8170.00</td></tr></tbody></table>
(As of: Fri Feb 01 17:37:27 PST 2013)

<table id="dataTable" border="3" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="bottom">Date</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="bottom">Time
(PST)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="bottom">Snow Water
Equivalent

(inches)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="bottom">Snow
Depth

(inches)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="bottom">Year-to-Date
Precipitation

(inches)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="bottom">Current
Temp

(degrees F)</td> <td colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" nowrap="nowrap">Previous Day's Temp
(degrees F)</td></tr><tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#FF9999">Max</td> <td align="center" bgcolor="lightgreen">Min</td> <td align="center" bgcolor="yellow">Avg</td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> 2013-01-26</td><td align="center">0000</td> <td align="right"> 23.5 </td> <td align="right"> 72.0 </td> <td align="right"> 23.1 </td> <td align="right"> 30.6 </td> <td align="right"> 31.6 </td> <td align="right"> 27.1 </td> <td align="right"> 29.7 </td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> 2013-01-27</td><td align="center">0000</td> <td align="right"> 24.4 </td> <td align="right"> 77.0 </td> <td align="right"> 23.7 </td> <td align="right"> 30.9 </td> <td align="right"> 34.0 </td> <td align="right"> 29.8 </td> <td align="right"> 31.6 </td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> 2013-01-28</td><td align="center">0000</td> <td align="right"> 25.0 </td> <td align="right"> 83.0 </td> <td align="right"> 24.1 </td> <td align="right"> 16.0 </td> <td align="right"> 30.9 </td> <td align="right"> 16.0 </td> <td align="right"> 24.4 </td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> 2013-01-29</td><td align="center">0000</td> <td align="right"> 25.2 </td> <td align="right"> 85.0 </td> <td align="right"> 24.2 </td> <td align="right"> 11.1 </td> <td align="right"> 27.7 </td> <td align="right"> 9.7 </td> <td align="right"> 15.3 </td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> 2013-01-30</td><td align="center">0000</td> <td align="right"> 25.4 </td> <td align="right"> 89.0 </td> <td align="right"> 24.4 </td> <td align="right"> 11.7 </td> <td align="right"> 29.3 </td> <td align="right"> 8.6 </td> <td align="right"> 15.1 </td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> 2013-01-31</td><td align="center">0000</td> <td align="right"> 26.1 </td> <td align="right"> 92.0 </td> <td align="right"> 25.0 </td> <td align="right"> 23.9 </td> <td align="right"> 27.7 </td> <td align="right"> 11.7 </td> <td align="right"> 20.1 </td></tr> <tr><td align="center"> 2013-02-01</td><td align="center">0000</td> <td align="right"> 26.4 </td> <td align="right"> 92.0 </td> <td align="right"> 25.2 </td> <td align="right"> 24.6 </td> <td align="right"> 27.5 </td> <td align="right"> 21.4 </td> <td align="right"> 23.5 </td></tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="top">Date</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="top">Time
(PST)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="top">Snow Water
Equivalent

(inches)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="top">Snow
Depth

(inches)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="top">Year-to-Date
Precipitation

(inches)</td> <td rowspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" valign="top">Current
Temp

(degrees F)</td> <td align="center" bgcolor="#FF9999">Max</td> <td align="center" bgcolor="lightgreen">Min</td> <td align="center" bgcolor="yellow">Avg</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="#F1F1F1" nowrap="nowrap">Previous Day's Temp
(degrees F)</td></tr><tr> </tr></tbody></table>
Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.


Almost ready to start loading up the sleds for tomorrow.
Island Park is looking VERY GOOD!
Should find some good weather and great snow up on top!
 
Last edited:
Snow??!?

How is the snow near Sawtelle? Im bringing the family out there was wondering how the snow is around the resort area.
 
  • Friday Night A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. North northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
  • Saturday A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31.
  • Saturday Night A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7.
  • Sunday A chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 29.
 
The snow forecast for our arrival pushed to the north again leaving only a trace of new snow on the range. Finding pockets of fresh snow will be the goal for our first few days. We will be waiting for this week’s snow predictions to come to fruition. The weather has been very crispy with -18 degrees Sunday night. Most places have a fairly good base due to the cold temperatures. A great plenty of the area has been tracked, fortunately the immense size of the area offers many options and hidden areas.

The Avalanche forecast is at moderate in the Island Park and Lions Head area, making climbing some of the hills very inviting. In the southern Madison Range and mountains around West Yellowstone, a layer of facets buried 1-2 feet deep remains the primary avalanche concern. On Saturday, skiers near the wilderness boundary in the Taylor Fork got unstable results during stability tests and experienced a few large collapses – both signs of instability. Although this layer is gaining strength, it continues to hold the ability to produce human triggered avalanches. In the Bridger Range – The snowpack is deep and mostly stable near the ski area, but variable conditions exist on the west side and in the northern and southern part of the Range. Areas where the snowpack is less than a meter deep, primarily in steep rocky terrain will be the most prone to human triggered avalanches. Today, heightened avalanche conditions exist and the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE.

Snow predictions for this week.

Today… 20 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31. Wind chill values as low as -2. Light and variable wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight… A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16. South wind 6 to 10 mph. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Wednesday… Snow showers likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 33. South wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Wednesday Night… Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 22. West wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Thursday… A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. West southwest wind 7 to 10 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

photo1- Dooman92 enjoying the high mountain views

photo2- My favorite area to rip

photo3- Can you say...Yahoo, look close at the riders descending

photo4- another 1 track into a pristine area

SANY0056-web.jpg SANY0057-web.jpg SANY0059-web.jpg SANY0062-web.jpg
 
Island Park Update....Fresh snow on the mountain side.

Tuesday night was dark and gloomy for Jefferson, 2 Tops and Lionhead areas and that means fresh snow over night. Wednesday was a low visibility day as the snow kept on falling. The snotel's are down so I am not sure how much new snow is out there. We heard differing reports depending on where you were in the range. Anywhere from 3 inches up to a foot of fresh in some areas. New snow means heightened avalanche conditions, be careful as you pick your areas to ride.

There are a few pictures attached to show the conditions. Thanks for the Pics SigelSummit.

The avalanche forecast from http://www.avalanche.org

Since yesterday the mountains near Cooke City received 5 inches of snow and all other places received 1-3 inches. This morning temperatures were in the low teens F, and gusty winds were blowing 15 mph from the W and NW with gusts of 20-30 mph. Mostly cloudy skies today will keep temperatures in the teens F, and winds will continue blowing 15-30 mph from the W and NW. Snowfall tonight will bring 1-3 inches by tomorrow morning.

Recent winds and light snowfall have combined to form fresh wind slabs. Ski patrols haven’t triggered many wind slabs but have triggered enough to warn us to watch for them in the backcountry.

Another problem is weak faceted crystals buried 1.5 to 2.5 feet deep. In some places this layer exists near the ground (photo), while in other places it exists in the middle of the snowpack (photo). Recent avalanches occurred on these facets on Alex Lowe Peak in Hyalite Canyon, in Beehive Basin, and on Lionhead. Also a small piece of slab broke on these facets on Mt Ellis in the northern Gallatin Range yesterday. The good news is that these facets are generally very easy to feel with you shovel as you dig a snowpit and easy to see in the snowpit wall (photo). The bad news is that it’s hard to predict the presence of this layer based on aspect and elevation. Digging a snowpit in a few different places is best to determine if it exists.

Today, fresh wind slabs will be easy to trigger on wind loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees where the avalanche danger is rated CONSIDERABLE. With a buried layer of facets that has produced recent avalanches, it is definitely possible to trigger an avalanche on all other slopes where the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE.

This weekends weather from NOAA

Today
Slight Chc
Snow
High: 29 °F

Tonight
Chance
Snow
Low: 10 °F

Fridays
Slight Chc
Snow
High: 31 °F

island-park-idaho-13-006-(2.jpg island-park-idaho-13-003-(3.jpg island-park-idaho-13-014-we.jpg island-park-idaho-13-004-05.jpg
 
Island Park Update....Fresh snow on the mountain side.

Tuesday night was dark and gloomy for Jefferson, 2 Tops and Lionhead areas and that means fresh snow over night. Wednesday was a low visibility day as the snow kept on falling. The snotel's are down so I am not sure how much new snow is out there. We heard differing reports depending on where you were in the range. Anywhere from 3 inches up to a foot of fresh in some areas. New snow means heightened avalanche conditions, be careful as you pick your areas to ride.

There are a few pictures attached to show the conditions. Thanks for the Pics SigelSummit.

The avalanche forecast from http://www.avalanche.org

Since yesterday the mountains near Cooke City received 5 inches of snow and all other places received 1-3 inches. This morning temperatures were in the low teens F, and gusty winds were blowing 15 mph from the W and NW with gusts of 20-30 mph. Mostly cloudy skies today will keep temperatures in the teens F, and winds will continue blowing 15-30 mph from the W and NW. Snowfall tonight will bring 1-3 inches by tomorrow morning.

Recent winds and light snowfall have combined to form fresh wind slabs. Ski patrols haven’t triggered many wind slabs but have triggered enough to warn us to watch for them in the backcountry.

Another problem is weak faceted crystals buried 1.5 to 2.5 feet deep. In some places this layer exists near the ground (photo), while in other places it exists in the middle of the snowpack (photo). Recent avalanches occurred on these facets on Alex Lowe Peak in Hyalite Canyon, in Beehive Basin, and on Lionhead. Also a small piece of slab broke on these facets on Mt Ellis in the northern Gallatin Range yesterday. The good news is that these facets are generally very easy to feel with you shovel as you dig a snowpit and easy to see in the snowpit wall (photo). The bad news is that it’s hard to predict the presence of this layer based on aspect and elevation. Digging a snowpit in a few different places is best to determine if it exists.

Today, fresh wind slabs will be easy to trigger on wind loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees where the avalanche danger is rated CONSIDERABLE. With a buried layer of facets that has produced recent avalanches, it is definitely possible to trigger an avalanche on all other slopes where the avalanche danger is rated MODERATE.

This weekends weather from NOAA

Today
Slight Chc
Snow
High: 29 °F

Tonight
Chance
Snow
Low: 10 °F

Fridays
Slight Chc
Snow
High: 31 °F

I see by the dates posted on your pictures those were taken last year & not this year. Is that correct?
 
By the dates on the pic.s thats what i would indicate alright!!
 
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