21-22

<p>In the mountains around Bozeman, Big Sky, West Yellowstone and Cooke City, large avalanches are currently unlikely because a thick melt-freeze crust below several inches of recent snow is generally isolating skiers and riders from deeper instabilities. However, avalanche conditions can and will change rapidly when this week’s storm arrives.</p>

<p>New snow and wind-drifted snow will become the primary concerns. Avalanches will fail above the crust as loose snow “sluffs”, dangerous in technical terrain, or slab avalanches that involve a greater volume of snow that could bury a skier or rider. The wind will transport snow during and after the storm loading slopes and creating cohesive slabs of drifted snow that can break across wide areas.</p>

<p>This week, test the snowpack down to the icy melt-freeze crust below the new snow. If you don’t find a crust, test the upper 3’ of the snowpack for isolated areas with persistent weak layers buried 1-3’ deep. Choose more conservative terrain if you observe signs of instability such as recent avalanche activity, cracking, collapsing or get unstable test results.</p>

<p>Continue to follow safe travel protocols by skiing and riding with a partner, carrying a beacon, probe and shovel and exposing only one person at a time to avalanche terrain. Be prepared to make more conservative decisions in the face of increasing avalanche danger as snow accumulates through the week.</p>

<p>Wet snow avalanches are not likely based on the week’s forecast. However, conditions change quickly in the spring and an hour or two of sunny skies and above freezing temperatures will make wet snow avalanches possible.</p>

<p><strong>A Note on Bridger Bowl:</strong> Backcountry conditions will quickly take over within the boundaries of Bridger Bowl without the daily avalanche mitigation efforts of the ski patrol (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcTGZm8vnZA"><strong>video</strong></a&…;). Commonly traveled routes such the North Bowl Road and any slope steeper than 30 degrees are avalanche terrain including most of the Ridge and Slushmans terrain). Other groups moving around in the area complicate principles of safe travel. With no ski patrol services, call 911 in case of emergency.</p>

<p>We will issue spring snowpack and weather updates each Monday and Friday through April, or as needed, and we will share relevant avalanche and snowpack information on our website and social media. If you get out, please send us your observations no matter how brief. You can submit them via our <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/add/snow_observation"><strong>website<…;, email (<a href="mailto:mtavalanche@gmail.com"><strong>mtavalanche@gmail.com</strong></a…;), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>

<p>Large avalanches are unlikely today. However, the possibility of triggering a slide can’t be totally ruled out, especially on high elevation shady slopes with wind drifted snow from the past week. On these slopes where the snowpack has remained dry, watch for slabs of drifted snow that formed earlier in the week (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/scotch-bonnet-avalanche"><strong>…;, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/wolverine-avalanche"><strong><u>p…;, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/cornice-triggered-avalanche-beehi…;) and dig down to look for weak snow buried 1-3 feet deep. Even a small avalanche can have nasty consequences, so if you do find a cracking drift or get an unstable test result, just find a different slope to ride. There are plenty of slopes to ride that don’t harbor any instabilities.</p>

<p>Cold temperatures have refrozen the snowpack and made wet avalanches unlikely. With below freezing temperatures even direct sunshine won’t warm the surface enough to make wet snow an issue today.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Keep using safe travel protocols in case you do find an isolated pocket of instability. Always carry rescue gear (avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe). Go one at a time on steep slopes. And watch your partners from a safe spot.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Avalanches are unlikely today and the&nbsp; avalanche danger is LOW.</p>

<p>While this is our last forecast of the season, avalanches will remain possible until all the snow melts. We will issue spring snowpack and weather updates each Monday and Friday through April, and as needed, and we will share relevant avalanche and snowpack observations on our website and social media. Please continue sending us your observations. You can submit them via our website, email (mtavalanche@gmail.com), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>