22-23
Large natural avalanches near Cooke City
Near Cooke City (12/2/22) we rode to the cabins at Lulu Pass, then to Round Lake, then to Daisy Pass. Visibility was 50/50, so we didn't see all terrain clearly. We saw multiple large natural avalanches that broke last night or early this morning.
The largest were 3 on Scotch Bonnet (R2-D2, south-souwest aspect at 10,000'), 1 on Henderson in the big east facing slide path (R1-D2. east aspect 10,000'). These appeared to be 3-4 feet deep, and we suspect broke on a layer of weak snow that formed last week and is now buried 2-3 feet deep, and deeper on high wind-loaded slopes.
(We also saw 4-5 smaller wind slabs (R1-D1).)
Near Cooke City (12/2/22) We saw multiple large natural avalanches that broke last night or early this morning. Photo: GNFAC
Near Cooke City (12/2/22) We saw multiple large natural avalanches that broke last night or early this morning. Photo: GNFAC
Forecast link: GNFAC Avalanche Forecast for Sat Dec 3, 2022
Near Cooke City (12/2/22) We saw multiple large natural avalanches that broke last night or early this morning. Photo: GNFAC
Goose Creek
Recent natural avalanches and snowpits
Near Cooke City (12/2/22) we rode to the cabins at Lulu Pass, then to Round Lake, then to Daisy Pass. Visibility was 50/50, so we didn't see all terrain clearly. We saw multiple large natural avalanches that broke last night or early this morning. The largest were 3 on Scotch Bonnet (R2-D2), 1 on Henderson in the big east facing slide path (R1-D2) and 1 on Old Man Ray's on Republic Mtn (no photo). We also saw 4-5 smaller wind slabs (R1-D1). The larger avalanches we suspect broke on a layer of weak snow that formed last week and is now buried 2-3 feet deep, and deeper on high wind-loaded slopes. In a snowpit on West Henderson we had ECTP23 and ECTP24 about 2 feet deep on a layer of 1mm facets. Below that the snowpack seemed generally strong. Based on the recent natural avalanche activity, this is a weak layer we will have to keep an eye on going forward, and it could produce human-triggered avalanches for at least the next few days.