Monday, December 31st, 2007 Good morning. This is Scott Schmidt with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Advisory issued on Monday, December 31, at 7:30 a.m. Yamaha and Team Bozeman, in cooperation with the Friends of the Avalanche Center, sponsor todays advisory. This advisory does not apply to operating ski areas. MOUNTAIN WEATHER Ron got half of his forecast right yesterday. As ol Broken Knee predicted, two to four inches of snow fell in most of the mountains of southwest Montana, with up to 6 falling in the mountains near Cooke City. Winds have been 20 40 mph from the northwest, and morning temperatures are near zero at 9000 feet. Rons plan to retire early off income from betting on football isnt working out so well. Yesterday, the Broncos beat the Vikings in overtime 22 19. Lingering moisture on a northwest flow will deposit and additional 1 2 inches of snow in the mountains today. Winds will be 20 35 mph from the northwest, and temperatures will be in the single digits and low teens at 9000 feet. SNOWPACK AND AVALANCHE DISCUSSION The Bridger Range: Strong winds blew at all elevations in the Bridger Range yesterday. This is the second day of windy conditions in these mountains and with a few inches of new snow available for transport sensitive wind slabs on the lee sides of ridges and gullies remain a concern. Today, a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists on wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. Wind-loaded slopes that are less steep have a MODERATE danger. Non-wind-loaded slopes have a LOW avalanche danger. The northern Gallatin Range and northern Madison Range: A layer of faceted snow, buried about a foot above the ground continues to produce human-triggered avalanches in the northern Gallatin and Madison Ranges. Id call the snowpack in these mountains funky. A more professional expression would be variable. Snowpack tests indicate good stability on many slopes, while others exhibit classic signs of instability such as snowpack cracking and collapsing. Your avalanche senses need to be on full alert if you plan to play in these mountains today where the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on wind-loaded slopes steeper then 35 degrees. All other slopes have a MODERATE avalanche danger. The southern Gallatin and southern Madison Ranges, including the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone: Stability tests produce clean fractures on a thin layer of faceted snow buried 2 feet deep in the mountains around West Yellowstone. Natural avalanche activity in this area has subsided but human-trigged avalanches are still likely on steep wind-loaded slopes. Today, for the southern Gallatin and southern Madison Ranges, including the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on recently wind-loaded slopes steeper then 35 degrees. Non-wind-loaded slopes in these mountains have a MODERATE danger. The mountains around Cooke City, and the Washburn Range: I spent the last two days in the mountains north of Cooke City. My partner and I saw the remains of several avalanches that occurred earlier this week, all of which released on slopes that had been recently wind-loaded. Two of these avalanche had been human-triggered, both resulting in partial burials. The layer of concern in these mountains is faceted snow near the ground on south-facing slopes. This layer continues to produce clean shears during stability tests and will likely avalanche on steep slope that have been recently wind-loaded. South-facing slopes present the greatest danger in these mountain, but given the amount of new snow and the strong winds, all recently wind-loaded slope in this area should be approached with caution. Today, the avalanche danger in the mountains around Cooke City and the Washburn Range is CONSIDERABLE on wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. A MODERATE danger exists on wind-loaded slopes less than 35 degrees and non-wind-loaded slopes steeper than 35 degrees. A LOW danger exists on non-wind-loaded slopes that are less steep.