Trip Planning for Bridgers

The snow ranger crew was riding around the Bridgers today and we spotted this slide in the bowl to the south of Hardscrabble peak.  It looked fairly recent (last 2 days) but a little hard to tell due to the new snow since yesterday and blowing snow today.  Photo: USFS Snow Rangers

As we neared the ridgeline and shifted to a more southerly aspect, we noted scalloped and scoured snow surfaces and the development of thin wind skins and a few 1-2" wind slabs. Photo: GNFAC

Nature or cornice triggered slides in Arrowhead and Hardscrabble Bowls. Photo: I Freeland

Nature or cornice triggered slides in Arrowhead and Hardscrabble Bowls. Photo: I Freeland

Nature or cornice triggered slides in Arrowhead and Hardscrabble Bowls. Photo: I Freeland

Isolated wind slabs today in the southern Bridgers. Photo: E. Selinger

Mar 15 Winds in the Frazier Basin zone were stronger than expected with moderate to strong gusts at the ridge, increasing through the day. We noticed two large windslab pockets that had released since yesterday’s snow. One at the base of Hardscrabble Peak on a N aspect, the other in one of the SE facing gullies that access the Peak 9299/Hollywood Headwall ridge (see photo). 

Mountain goat hanging out in Wolverine Bowl

Skier triggered wind slab on Northeast slope at 7,450 feet elevation. One skier was caught and carried roughly 10 feet before the slide came to a stop.

Skier triggered wind slab on Northeast slope at 7,450 feet elevation. One skier was caught and carried roughly 10 feet before the slide came to a stop.

Skier triggered wind slab on Northeast slope at 7,450 feet elevation. One skier was caught and carried roughly 10 feet before the slide came to a stop.

Mar 7 obs: "...There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday. Winds were stronger than expected, from the north at the top of the Throne, and increased through the morning.... We found fresh drifts that were reactive, cracking easily and 5-10' wide out from our skis, on south and east facing slopes around 8000-8300'." Photo: GNFAC

Mar 7 obs: "...There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday. Winds were stronger than expected, from the north at the top of the Throne, and increased through the morning.... We found fresh drifts that were reactive, cracking easily and 5-10' wide out from our skis, on south and east facing slopes around 8000-8300'." Photo: GNFAC

Mar 7 obs: "...There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday. Winds were stronger than expected, from the north at the top of the Throne, and increased through the morning.... We found fresh drifts that were reactive, cracking easily and 5-10' wide out from our skis, on south and east facing slopes around 8000-8300'." Photo: GNFAC

Mar 7 obs: "There was 6" of low density snow from yesterday.... The new snow was low density and sluffed easily on steep shady northerlies. On steep slopes facing the sun (south and east, and probably west) the new snow sat on a crust and became moist as the sun warmed it up and started to slide under skis. We saw a couple very small natural loose snow slides below rock outcrops on south facing slopes. Air temperatures were well below freezing, especially with wind chill, but the sun quickly warmed the recent new snow." Photo: GNFAC

From obs on 3/4/25:

"Saw a few sluffs in the new snow triggered by skiers in the very steep terrain just north of the Bridger Bowl ski area boundary (see photo). These sluffs were small, definitely not large enough to bury someone."

Observed multiple wet loose slides naturally triggering and running on south facing slopes beyond bradleys and on the south facing aspects of hourglass chute.

Observed multiple wet loose slides naturally triggering and running on south facing slopes beyond bradleys and on the south facing aspects of hourglass chute. Photo: T McGarry

From obs.: "Saw a recent cornice triggered wind slab off of Hardscrabble Peak, crown looked fairly fresh. There was a second crown line below the rock band. Conditions were very windy, with snow still being transported. Most snow surfaces were wind affected, but saw no cracking or collapsing." Photo: F. Miller

Skiers triggered a medium sized cornice fall that triggered a dry loose (sluff) avalanche that created large powder cloud.

Toured out to Frazier Basin and turned around seeing widespread avalanches and active wind loading. Despite our pits on the Throne the day before showing no weak layers, the amount of wind loading and potential for slabs over density changes gave us pause. Good skiing and sledding down low.

Toured out to Frazier Basin and turned around seeing widespread avalanches and active wind loading. Despite our pits on the Throne the day before showing no weak layers, the amount of wind loading and potential for slabs over density changes gave us pause. Good skiing and sledding down low.

Cornice broke in between north and south saddle peaks.  The initial propagation width was hard to distinguish.  Maybe 50 feet.  About 18 inches deep at height of crown.  Photo: Anonymous

Skiers saw three natural slides south of the throne today. All east facing. Photo: I Freeland

Skiers saw three natural slides south of the throne today. All east facing. Photo: I Freeland

Skiers saw three natural slides south of the throne today. All east facing. Photo: I Freeland

On a cold day we rode to Frazier Basin and quickly answered the question, “Are wind slab avalanches still possible or have they stabilized?” We saw a natural avalanche (R2, D1.5) that released on a steep headwall just to the south (I believe I’ve heard this referred to as October Bowl). Photo: GNFAC

Feb 7 We saw a couple storm slabs that broke in today's snow 4-6" deep, 10-30' wide, and we triggered one 3-4" deep wind slab, "remotely", from a few feet back on a small ridgeline. R2-D1. These slabs were very soft, F- to F hard. Photo: GNFAC

Feb 7 We saw a couple storm slabs that broke in today's snow 4-6" deep, 10-30' wide, and we triggered one 3-4" deep wind slab, "remotely", from a few feet back on a small ridgeline. R2-D1. These slabs were very soft, F- to F hard. Photo: GNFAC

200ft wide and rather shallow, did not manage to run fully into the apron. 

This was a small remote trigger next to the skin track, about 20 feet wide by 10 feet long.  Photo: K Gordon

Remote trigger, SE facing slope, ~100' crown, ~3" depth.  Photo: M Gillies

Skier triggered wind slab avalanche on Saddle Peak. Photo: BBSP

In the Playground area of the Bridger Range, strong winds rapidly built wind slabs up to 25 cm deep around treeline. Skiers experienced a few cracks in this wind slab, propagating 2 or 3 meters from our ski tips. Photo: N. deLeeuw

Skiers triggered a small wind slab avalanche while skinning near the top of Pair Of Chutes in the Playground. The slab was about 1 foot thick, fist hardness, propagated 20 feet wide and ran 50 feet before breaking up and arresting. Photo: J. Taylor

Winds have worked over many slopes near the Throne. We found some slopes stripped nearly to dirt with the snow blown off to who knows where, and others had wind-sculpted sastrugi. Trees were broken off, and debris littered the snow surface. Photo: GNFAC

We triggered a small soft slab avalanche on a south facing aspect around 7800'. This avalanche broke in a wind drift, 4" deep in low density new snow, likely on a sun crust or near-surface facets. Photo: GNFAC

We triggered a small soft slab avalanche on a south facing aspect around 7800'. This avalanche broke in a wind drift, 4" deep in low density new snow, likely on a sun crust or near-surface facets. Photo: GNFAC

Strong winds transporting snow on Saddle Peak. Photo: BBSP 

Recent natural avalanche: on an easterly aspect around 9200', on Hardscrabble Peak in the northern Bridgers. Photo: B Fredlund