By Jen Clancey STAFF WRITER
Mountain ranges around Big Sky are painted orange today, Dec. 31, on the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center’s forecast map. Due to new snow on top of an unstable snowpack, avalanche danger in the northern Madison and Gallatin ranges is “considerable,” and in the Bridger Range is “high” coupled with an avalanche warning.
GNFAC forecaster Alex Marienthal told EBS that backcountry users should use caution if they want to explore this week.
“Ideally, they can identify avalanche terrain a little bit or be able to plan a route that avoids slopes that are steeper than 30 degrees and not cross underneath them too close,” Marienthal said.
When GNFAC forecasters surveyed Beehive Basin on Monday, they triggered an avalanche over 100 feet wide and a foot deep. In a video, forecaster Dave Zinn noted that his crew was crossing a flat area, only 20 minutes into their Beehive Basin tour when they triggered the avalanche below them. The slide is a sign of the unstable snowpack conditions in and around Big Sky.
Marienthal recommends avoiding avalanche terrain and slopes that have become loaded by new snow and wind.
As for the upcoming days, the forecast will likely look similar for the beginning of 2025.
“There’s going to be a possibility for triggering avalanches probably for a while, at least through this week,” Marienthal said. He said that education and preparedness is essential—each member of a group should have a beacon, shovel and probe during backcountry trips, and should know how to use these life-saving tools.
