Snowpit from SE aspect at 9600ft on Mount Blackmore. 11-21-2018.
18-19
A layer of surface hoar is on many slopes in Cooke City. These feathery crystals can be unstable when buried. We will be keeping an eye on them with the approaching storm. Photo: GNFAC
Alex Marienthal stands by the Lulu Pass weather station outside Cooke City. We put it up today and you can view the hourly data HERE.Photo: GNFAC
The surface snow is feathery crystals of surface hoar and small facets. These crystals are weak and will become unstable once buried. Today's snow surface may be tomorrow's problem. Photo: GNFAC
Plenty of traffic on Blackmore since the last storm. No signs of instability for now, but we did find near-surface facets and surface hoar on some slopes. This will be something to watch out for with the next storm, and they should be easy to identify in snow pits and stability tests. Photo: GNFAC
From BSSP: "There has been some significant surface hoar observed at treeline and below. It is not melting and light to non-existent winds are allowing it to persist for now. The attached pic is some of the biggest SH observed." Photo: BSSP
Large natural in Headwaters at Big Sky
Big Sky Resort
Northern Madison
Code
HS-N-D3.5-O
Elevation
10000
Aspect
N
Latitude
45.28430
Longitude
-111.44100
Notes
From BSSP: "The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Fork had failed as a unit taking out all of the early November snow, failing on facets above the October crust. It ran far, taking out some mature trees and depositing a wide swath of debris 6-10’ onto the Merriweather ski run. It was estimated to be a Size 3.5."
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Hard slab avalanche
Trigger
Natural trigger
D size
3.5
Bed Surface
O - Old snow
Problem Type
Persistent Slab
Slab Thickness units
centimeters
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Multiple Avalanches
Advisory Year
Weather and Avalanche Log for Tue Nov 20, 2018
High pressure. Small storm Fri-Sat.