February 18, 2019 Alpine, WY Snow Report Rockin’ M Ranch
We came to the end of another 5 day storm starting on Wednesday. We had another 6-8″ here at the cabins on Thursday. Friday turned warm and rained on the valley snow pack, then back to snow by Saturday with another 4-6 inches by Sunday. The next storm is supposed to come in Wednesday. Jackson hole resort has already passed the all time February snowfall record (97″) and we still have the other half of the month to go. The closest SNOTEL site to us, Willow Creek, added 4 inches of water to the snopack this week and went from 66″ to 85″. The Snake River region snowpack is now at 103%. Great snow and plenty of it at all elevations. Several feet of new snow with temperatures all over the place and high wind has made the high mountain snopack (7500+) unstable. Be careful on the big stuff or ride the lower less steep areas like the Idaho side, or McCain Meadows. Cool temps are in the forecast the next few days which should help. Here is todays avalanche report:
General Avalanche Advisory
The general avalanche hazard is considerable above an elevation of 7,500 feet and is moderate below that elevation. In steep avalanche prone terrain humans could trigger recently formed surface slabs and dangerous persistent slabs. Wind slabs formed during the most recent storm cycle are a hazard on steep wind-loaded avalanche prone slopes. Large to very large persistent slabs are most likely to be triggered on steep slopes that had a shallow snowpack with poor snow structure at the end of January. The consequences of triggering a large destructive avalanche are likely to be severe. A careful assessment of the snowpack and conservative terrain choices are essential for snowmobilers and skiers who recreate in avalanche terrain.
