BOZEMAN — Although it may not look or feel like winter right now in Bozeman, the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center (GNFAC) said avalanches are still a risk in some areas.
"Starting this evening, we have heavy snowfall that's going to impact the Cooke City area," said GNFAC Forecaster Dave Zinn. "As that snow falls, we're going to see avalanche dangers increase."
Zinn has been working as an avalanche forecaster with GNFAC since 2019. Before taking on this role, he was a ski patrol at Bridger Bowl from 2016 to 2019.
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Zinn said he was recently skiing in the Cooke City area.
"When the skiing and riding conditions are at their best and when there's really deep powder," he explained. "That's when the avalanche conditions are the most dangerous."
He added that although it's safe to go into the backcountry almost any day of the year, riders should always take necessary precautions and "identify avalanche terrain."
"Avalanches really only occur on slopes that are steeper than 30 degrees and in run-out zones from steeper areas above," he said.
Last week, an avalanche near Tahoe in California killed nine backcountry skiers. The Sierra Avalanche Center classified this avalanche as a D2 or D3 on the avalanche destructive force scale (D scale).
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According to Avalanche.org, a D2 avalanche could injure, bury, or kill a person, and a D3 avalanche can bury or destroy a car or house.
On Sunday, a snowmobiler was killed after a group of four riders was caught in a large avalanche in the Centennial Mountains near Island Park, Idaho.
Zinn was in the Island Park area the week before this avalanche fatality and said there were multiple human-triggered avalanches.
"Last week, we had a lot of heavy snowfall down south towards West Yellowstone and Island Park," he said. "There was two to three feet of snow."
Zinn added that when it's "snowing and blowing," skiers and riders should avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees.
As for locally, Zinn said avalanche dangers in the Bridgers are low.
"Now if it snows and we get wind-drifted snow, that'll change," he said. "For now, avalanches are unlikely in the Bridgers."
GNFAC is investigating the Island Park fatality and will have more information posted on their website soon.
