Trip Planning for Northern Gallatin

as of 5:00 am
Today0″ | 30-60 SW
Mar 21 1″ | 25-60 W
Mar 20 0″ | 34-48 SW
9982′     03/22 at 16:00
9.1℉
W - 24mph
Gusts 44 mph
8100′     03/22 at 14:00
26℉
Depth
Primary Problem: Wind Slab
Bottom Line: Windy conditions in the mountains around Bozeman and Big Sky will cause the limited snow available for transport to drift into slabs that could avalanche on wind-loaded slopes. Shooting cracks and recent avalanche activity are the most precise indicators of instability. Avalanche conditions are generally safe, and slides are unlikely in terrain sheltered from the wind.

Past 5 Days

Tue Mar 18

Moderate
Wed Mar 19

Moderate
Thu Mar 20

Considerable
Fri Mar 21

Moderate
Today

Moderate

Relevant Avalanche Activity

Northern Gallatin
Mt Blackmore
Small Wind Slab avalanche, Blackmore
Incident details include images
Mt Blackmore
SS-R1-D1-I
Elevation: 8,800
Aspect: N
Coordinates: 45.4444, -111.0040
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

On Sunday, skiers passed a small natural wind slab avalanche on the way down Blackmore that they didn’t see on the way up. 
 

 


More Avalanche Details
Northern Gallatin
Mt Blackmore
Loose avalanches on Blackmore
Incident details include images
Mt Blackmore
N-R1-D1
Coordinates: 45.4444, -111.0040
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

From obs: "Multiple natural loose avalanches in the steep terrain of mt Blackmore. All originated at the base of cliffs or trees. Counted 4 prominent ones"


More Avalanche Details
Northern Gallatin
Mt Blackmore
Loose snow avalanches around Blackmore
Incident details include images
Mt Blackmore
L-R1-D1
Coordinates: 45.4444, -111.0040
Caught: 0 ; Buried: 0

Saw lots of small loose avalanches on Mt Blackmore and nearby slopes, some appeared to be natural and others skier triggered. We saw multiple dry loose on N and E aspects and a wet loose on a southeast aspect.

We also noticed recent wind loading on the southeast side of ridgetops and scouring on north slopes.


More Avalanche Details

Relevant Photos

Displaying 1 - 40
  • This small wind slab avalanche failed on Mt Blackmore on Sunday. Photo: C Rendeiro

     

  • Debris pile from a small wind slab avalanche on Mt Blackmore. Photo: C Rendeiro
     

     

  • From obs: "Multiple natural loose avalanches in the steep terrain of mt Blackmore. All originated at the base of cliffs or trees. Counted 4 prominent ones."

    Photo: M. Stern

  • Saw lots of small loose avalanches on Mt Blackmore and nearby slopes, some appeared to be natural and others skier triggered. We saw multiple dry loose on N and E aspects and a wet loose on a southeast aspect. Photo: H Meyers

  • Saw lots of small loose avalanches on Mt Blackmore and nearby slopes, some appeared to be natural and others skier triggered. We saw multiple dry loose on N and E aspects and a wet loose on a southeast aspect. Photo: H Meyers

  • "Toured up Flanders Creek to the main cirque. I was wondering what the snow surface was doing with the high pressure. I dug a pit on a NNW aspect at 8900'. HS 205cm, light SW wind, clear skies and air temp was 2.1 C at 4pm. Dust layer was down 60cm from the surface.

    I didn't get any propagating results in my pit and the snowpack was right side up. I did notice a strong temperature gradient in the top few centimeters of snow. I only found this on sheltered, shaded slopes with dry powdery snow. I did not find a strong temp gradient or facets in dense wind affected snow. Something to keep in mind if we get a big dump of snow in the near future." Photo: B. Oackes

  • Ridge line just west of divide peak in Hyalite canyon. Photo: O Silitch

  • Saw a fairly fresh avalanche up Hyalite from the top of the Fat and Skinny Maids, I think that would put the avalanche in the Storm Castle Creek basin. Photo: F Miller

  • Pictures of two cornice triggered avalanches way up the South Cottonwood drainage that was viewed from Alex Lowe. Looks to be in the recent days, around 9,000 feet North facing. Photo: S Lipsteuer

  • A massive cornice had cracked and was slowly making its way towards falling down. Cornice was around 50 feet long, and largely overhanging. Photo: S Lipsteuer

  • A massive cornice that has cracked and is slowly making its way towards falling down. Cornice was around 50 feet long, and largely overhanging. On the standard ascent of the East Ridge of Alex Lowe, the skin track usually travels below this cornice while ascending to the ridge. Photo S Lipsteuer

  • This older wet slide is a good example of what to look out for especially at low elevations.

  • This older wet slide is a good example of what to look out for especially at low elevations.

  • Cornice release above the headwaters of storm castle creek which triggered a slab, east facing aspect.  Looked to be several feet deep and ran a long way.

     

     

  • Cornice triggered slab avalanche, maybe wind slab. Hard to say.

     

     

  • Total snow depth on a NE aspect was 230 cm (7.5 ft). Right side up and strong. Dust layer from Feb 4th was 70 cm deep (28 inches) with no facets under it. 

  • Clean up on aisle hyalite!  Couple small wet slides between the retaining wall and practice rock, big enough to reduce the road to one lane. Photo: K. Marvinney

  • 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

  • From obs: "2/17 Immediately noticed signs of wind loading and wind slabs on NE-E aspects once in the basin. New cornices have formed in the last couple days along the North ridge to the summit. Cornice collapse on the summit triggered a small wind slab on an isolated slope." Photo: R. Rintala

  • From obs: "2/17 Immediately noticed signs of wind loading and wind slabs on NE-E aspects once in the basin. New cornices have formed in the last couple days along the North ridge to the summit. Cornice collapse on the summit triggered a small wind slab on an isolated slope." Photo: R. Rintala

  • SS-ASc-R1-D.5-I 

    310 Degrees  NW

    8129ft

     

    Photo: Tagg Cole

  • Storm slab avalanche between Blackmore and Elephant. Photo: Anonymous

  • Saw a small natural slide that started at the bottom of Cyptorchid. Crown was 10' wide and 8-18" deep, it ran 150' down a very shallow slope and covered the climbers trail. Photo: R Beck

  • Saw a small natural slide that started at the bottom of Cyptorchid. Crown was 10' wide and 8-18" deep, it ran 150' down a very shallow slope and covered the climbers trail. Photo: R Beck 

  • Triggered a small wind slab avalanche on the east face of mt Blackmore today at 9850 ft elevation. Around 5 inches thick, ~ 20 ft wide, and ran for 100 ft. Photo: I Masi

  • Triggered a small wind slab avalanche on the east face of mt Blackmore today at 9850 ft elevation. Around 5 inches thick, ~ 20 ft wide, and ran for 100 ft. Photo: I Masi

  • Cold temps and sunny days starting to create some surface hoar forming seen on the primary ridge of big Ellis. Surface hoar was less widely distributed on the primary ski zone but was present all along the top of the ridge. Photo: K Gordon 

  • I went skate skiing up Sourdough Canyon today. The trail intersects many south and southwest-facing avalanche terrains that generally do not have much snow coverage due to their exposure to the sun. 

    However, the snowpack is much deeper than normal in the Gallatin Valley and in the low-elevation mountains around the Valley, and these slopes make me nervous, especially because they would impact a trail that sees heavy use by people who do not intend to expose themselves to avalanches and who are not prepared for avalanche rescue. 

    Currently, 2.5 to 4 feet of snow is in the terrain near the trail. 

    Photo: GNFAC

     

  • I went skate skiing up Sourdough Canyon today. The trail intersects many south and southwest-facing avalanche terrains that generally do not have much snow coverage due to their exposure to the sun. 

    However, the snowpack is much deeper than normal in the Gallatin Valley and in the low-elevation mountains around the Valley, and these slopes make me nervous, especially because they would impact a trail that sees heavy use by people who do not intend to expose themselves to avalanches and who are not prepared for avalanche rescue. 

    Photo: GNFAC

     

  • At the base of G2 I triggered a 3 inch x 100 foot soft slab. Photo: D Chabot

  • Most notable test result was ECTP16 down 35 cm on a layer of surface hoar. Photo: E Heiman

  • Most notable test result was ECTP16 down 35 cm on a layer of surface hoar. Photo: E Heiman

  • Three to four inches of new snow from yesterday sat on top of the dust layer that got deposited across most of the forecast area on Monday and Tuesday. Photo: GNFAC

  • There was evidence of several R1-2/ D1-2 wind slab avalanches that likely ran this weekend on the east face of Blackmore. Photo: GNFAC

  • Elephant Mountain and the summer trail area were scoured down to the tundra. Photo: GNFAC

  • I went for a walk up the main fork of hyalite today and observed a very dirty snow surface from the strong SW winds. Photo: Anonymous

  •  The cornices are growing rather large from the recent wind. Photo: Anonymous

  • Lots of wind transport filling in the skin track between laps and creating light reactive slabs ~5” deep in places (see photo) primarily out of the west but generally inconsistent in direction. Photo: E Kiesz

  • From obs: "Wind was rocking in alpine today, fresh windslabs forming and naturally releasing. I could make out 3 on E face, but rough vis with blowing snow. Exposed terrain in alpine had about .5” ice crust from yesterday’s sunshine.

    This slab (in pic) released around 11-noon-ish." Photo taken 1/31/25

Videos- Northern Gallatin

WebCams


Bozeman Pass, Looking SE

Snowpit Profiles- Northern Gallatin

 

Select a snowpit on the map to view the profile image

Weather Forecast Northern Gallatin

Extended Forecast for

14 Miles SE Gallatin Gateway MT

  • This Afternoon

    This Afternoon: A 40 percent chance of snow showers.  Patchy blowing snow before 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26. West northwest wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.  Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

    High: 26 °F

    Chance Snow
    Showers and
    Patchy
    Blowing Snow

  • Tonight

    Tonight: A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 9pm.  Partly cloudy, with a low around 14. West southwest wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph.

    Low: 14 °F

    Slight Chance
    Snow Showers
    then Partly
    Cloudy

  • Sunday

    Sunday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after 2pm.  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. West southwest wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.  New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

    High: 32 °F

    Chance Snow
    Showers

  • Sunday Night

    Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow showers.  Cloudy, with a low around 30. West southwest wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.  New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

    Low: 30 °F

    Chance Snow
    Showers

  • Monday

    Monday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers.  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. West southwest wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.  Little or no snow accumulation expected.

    High: 41 °F

    Chance Snow
    Showers

  • Monday Night

    Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow showers before midnight.  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. West southwest wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.

    Low: 32 °F

    Slight Chance
    Snow Showers
    then Mostly
    Cloudy

  • Tuesday

    Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

    High: 46 °F

    Mostly Sunny

  • Tuesday Night

    Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. South wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

    Low: 31 °F

    Partly Cloudy

  • Wednesday

    Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

    High: 52 °F

    Mostly Sunny

The Last Word

03 / 21 / 25  <<  
 
this forecast
 
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