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GNFAC Avalanche Forecast for Tue Feb 14, 2012

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion

The mountains around Cooke City:

Cooke City remains our problem child of the mountains. The couple inches of snow last night and a few more today will keep the slopes unstable.  Some slopes have large grains of depth hoar underlying the entire snowpack.  A fracture on this layer would produce large, deep, and destructive avalanches.  Buried one to two feet deep on most slopes is another weak layer: small-grained facets that are not obvious.  As you ski or snowmobile around today, remember these two things:

GNFAC Avalanche Advisory for Mon Feb 13, 2012

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion

 The mountains around Cooke City:

Conditions remain touchy in the mountains around Cooke City.  Yesterday, skiers remotely triggered an avalanche on a SE facing slope around 9,500 ft (photo).  A large natural was also observed on the south face of Mt Abundance, the same slope that ripped to the ground eleven days ago.  When natural activity and remote triggering take place, it’s a clear indication very unstable conditions exist.   

 Over a foot of fresh snow is producing natural and human triggered avalanches in the mountains around Cooke City.  This avalnache occurred on a SE facing slope around 9500 ft and was remotely triggerd, an obvious sign of unstable conditions.  The track in the upper left is a goat track, not a crown.  Photo Beau Fredlund 

Cooke City, 2012-02-12

GNFAC Avalanche Advisory for Sun Feb 12, 2012

Snowpack and Avalanche Discussion

 The mountains around Cooke City:

Cooke City is an incredible place!  Over the past few days this area has picked up over a foot of low density snow producing what a reliable source called “my deepest day of powder skiing this winter”.  This latest round of snow totaled .5 inches of SWE (snow water equivalent) meaning the density of the new snow ranged between 3-5%.