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The snowpack in the northern Bridger Range supported the previous weekend's load of snow without producing avalanches. This is good sign. It is now 120 cm deep. Stability tests also produced encouraging results. Photo: GNFAC

The Bridger Range and the mountains near Cooke City and West Yellowstone received about 1 inch or more of snow water equivalent (SWE). This number is important because it tells us how much weight was added to the snowpack. In this case 1 inch of SWE corresponds to over a foot of snow. More importantly it is a lot of weight. Strong winds drifted snow adding an even greater load to lee slopes. Things break when too much weight is added too fast.

Seven days without snow and above freezing daytime temperatures has created marginal skiing (photo), but mostly stable avalanche conditions. Unfortunately, it has not been warm enough on all aspects and elevations to change the snow structure from weak to strong.  The snowpack is still weak and this weekend’s storm has the potential to make it unstable.

The snow has consolidated and melted leaving bony skiing in Beehive Basin. Over the ridge in Bear Basin the snowpack is deeper, but there are more facets too.  Photo: GNFAC

This pit was dug at 9,200 feet on a northeast aspect.  Test score of ECTP11.  Facets are still alive and well on higher elevation, more east to northersly slopes. Snowpit profile is here:http://www.mtavalanche.com/images/13/snowpit-beehive-basin?size=_original

Photo: N. Grainger