GNFAC Avalanche Forecast for Sun Mar 27, 2022
<p>Dangerous avalanche conditions exist today. Last night was the fourth night in a row that the snowpack did not refreeze well, or only refroze slightly, after high temperatures were in the 40s and 50s F during the day. Today temperatures will be warmer. Any supportable crusts that formed on the surface overnight will melt quickly, and the wet snowpack will become unstable. </p>
<p>This will be the fifth day in a row of above freezing temperatures and the warmest yet. Sunshine and light wind will allow the snowpack to heat up quickly. To make matters worse, buried weak layers are being saturated with melt-water for the first time this season which means water may pool along these layers and make large to very large human triggered wet slab avalanches likely, and large natural avalanches possible. These could be a foot deep, or the entire snowpack, and either size is potentially deadly. </p>
<p>Yesterday, the Bridger Bowl ski patrol closed all avalanche terrain early and saw multiple natural wet slides (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/26348"><strong><u>photo and details</u></strong></a>), Big Sky ski patrol triggered a 3-4’ deep wet avalanche, a skier on Mt. Blackmore saw a wet loose avalanche (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/26351"><strong><u>photo</u></strong></…;), and skiers near Electric Peak experienced whumphing and saw a natural wet slide (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/26350"><strong><u>photo and details</u></strong></a>). Today I expect larger avalanches and more widespread wet snow instability. Wet snow avalanche activity will start to occur on slopes that were shady and had dry snow yesterday or the day before, and on these slopes avalanches breaking on persistent weak layers could be dry or wet (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/26347"><strong><u>snowmobile triggered slide in Taylor Fork yesterday</u></strong></a>, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/26321"><strong><u>skier triggered and caught on Woody Ridge</u></strong></a>).</p>
<p>Plan to avoid travel on and underneath steep slopes today. Consider what terrain is above you and minimize time spent in runout zones where natural wet avalanches could deposit deep, heavy debris piles. Today, human triggered avalanches are likely, and large natural avalanches are possible. Avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE.</p>
<p>If you get out, please send us your observations no matter how brief. You can submit them via our website, email (mtavalanche@gmail.com), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>
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Natural slab on Sawtooth near Cooke
On 3/26/22 skiers saw a small slab on the west face of Sawtooth Peak near Goose Creek.
Wet Loose on Mt. Blackmore
Whumphing and natural wet slide near Electric Peak
From obs 3/26/22: "Freezing temps overnight created breakable crust in the morning which quickly deteriorated as the day warmed. (Temps rose surprisingly faster than we anticipated. Experience large whumphs while ascending the NW shoulder of Electric Pk. at 9600 ft. Without hesitation we turned back and skied out the skin track. The snow became very rotten and we penetrated to boot-tops often while exiting."
Wet loose slide, skier triggered BSSP
BSSP reported one wet slide that broke 3-4' deep and created a sizeable pile of debris
Many natural wet slides at Bridger Bowl
Bridger Bowl ski patrol reported five natural wet avalanches that occurred in closed terrain. Many were D1-D1.5, one was R2-D2.
A small natural out of the sunnyside of lower Job 3... at 12.30pm.
[around 1:30pm] a small natural (similar in size to the Job 3 release) ran out of Baldwins Bad Idea Butress and put a very small pile on the North Bowl Road.
A small natural ran out of LeMons around 3pm, and the High-T fence between tight squeeze and never never land cliffs was taken 300ft downhill by a 2' deep wet slide release around that time.
A larger natural R2D2 ran out of Catch and Release late afternoon that left a medium sized pile of debris in Bridger Gully above the Bears.
Snowmobile triggered hard slab T Fork
This avalanche occurred after a skier descended the slope on March 26. East-facing at 10,000 feet. Photo: E. Young
Forecast link: GNFAC Avalanche Forecast for Sun Mar 27, 2022
From obs 3/26/22: "Freezing temps overnight created breakable crust in the morning which quickly deteriorated as the day warmed. (Temps rose surprisingly faster than we anticipated. Experience large whumphs while ascending the NW shoulder of Electric Pk. at 9600 ft. Without hesitation we turned back and skied out the skin track. The snow became very rotten and we penetrated to boot-tops often while exiting." Photo: S. Miller
Forecast link: GNFAC Avalanche Forecast for Sun Mar 27, 2022
On March 26 many natural wet slides occurred in closed terrain at Bridger Bowl. Photo: BBSP