Bridger Range

Surface crusts will break down as the day heats up. Once the crust becomes unsupportable, conditions will rapidly transition from fun and safe to difficult and dangerous. Plan to get out of steep terrain before that transition occurs.

Temperatures dropped to near or slightly below freezing overnight and skies were clear, so the snow surface will have a light crust on it this morning. However, temperatures are around 20 degrees F warmer than yesterday morning and the expected high temperatures are warmer as well, so the crust will be thinner and break down more quickly. I don’t expect the crust to remain supportable all day. 

As soon as the snow surface softens, you could trigger small, Wet Loose avalanches. These won’t be much of a hazard, but are worth keeping in mind if you’re planning on getting into very steep and exposed terrain where a small slide would have big consequences. 

The bigger concern comes into play once the crusts in the upper snowpack start to break down and become unsupportable. If you’re sinking more than ankle deep into wet snow, you could trigger a larger wet loose avalanche that may gouge deep into the still unfrozen lower snowpack and become quite large and dangerous. These slides could also start naturally near rocky areas or trees and run down on you from above. The more direct sun a slope is getting, the faster conditions for wet loose avalanches will develop.

 On the highest elevation, shadiest slopes there is still dry snow with persistent weak layers. Triggering a Persistent Slab avalanche has become unlikely, but not entirely impossible on these slopes. 

Starting early, enjoying some corn snow as the snow surface starts to soften, and getting out of the mountains as the day heats up and the wet snow hazard increases is the best plan for enjoyment and safety today.

The avalanche danger is MODERATE today across our forecast area, primarily for wet snow hazard.