Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center

05/01/2026

May 1 - 4, 2026 Avalanche Conditions Update: This weekend the main avalanche concern is wet loose avalanches. These will be more likely for a person to trigger, or occur naturally, during warmer parts of the day and on slopes that receive direct sun. If you intend to travel on or below steep slopes, start early in the day and travel when the surface is still frozen or dry. Even a small wet loose slide can pack a large punch, so plan your route carefully and continuously evaluate the snowpack throughout the day and across different aspects and elevations. Be alert for isolated wind slabs along the highest ridgelines if you are in terrain where a small slide knocking you off your feet or snowmobile would have high consequences, like above cliffs or on long steep slopes.
Go to mtvalanche.com for the full update.

This is our final spring avalanche bulletin for the season. Thank you all for your support throughout the season and beyond. Have a great spring and summer, and stay safe!

Photo: Wet loose avalanche in Beehive Basin, N. Madison Range on or before 4/18/26.

04/30/2026

Give Big is TOMORROW! If you want it to snow more next year, we’ve heard that donating to your local avalanche center will put in a good word with the snow gods… ❄️

Besides making it snow, your support goes toward offering free and donation based avalanche education, maintaining weather stations, and avalanche center operations in the greater Gallatin community.

is generously matching $2500 of donations— let’s make it count!

Donate at https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/friends-of-gnfac !

04/27/2026

New Spring Conditions Update out on the website for the week of April 27-May 1: www.mtavalanche.com

Skiers and riders can find excellent snow conditions in the mountains, especially on high elevation northerly aspects that remain shadier and cooler, but keep the avalanche radar on and remember the basics: retreat to lower-angle terrain if you observe signs of instability, travel with a partner, follow safe travel practices, and carry a beacon, shovel, and probe.

For the first half of the week, while temperatures remain below freezing and clouds obscure the sun, the primary avalanche concern is isolated slabs of wind-drifted snow at high elevations and near ridgelines. If the wind picks up, so will the danger of wind slab avalanches.

The weather shifts on Thursday. Temperatures will be above freezing temperatures and skies will be sunny. The surface snow getting wet for the first time will destabilize and avalanche naturally. And the surface conditions won’t be as fun for skiing and riding. Choose your day and your timing wisely.

📸Wind slab avalanche in the Beehive area in the Northern Madison Range on Friday

04/24/2026

This season despite low snow Friends of
GNFAC reached over 3,000 students!

On May 1-2, Friends of GNFAC is participating in Give Big Gallatin Valley-https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/friends-of-gnfac.

Your support goes toward offering free and donation based avalanche education, maintaining weather stations, and avalanche center operations in the greater Gallatin community.

Thank you to for generously matching $2500 in donations— let’s make it count!

04/23/2026

The Bridger Range received 2” of snow water, equivalent (SWE) overnight equally nearly 20 inches of snow. Expect dangerous avalanche conditions in steep terrain and be cautious about traveling below.

Ian’s bulletin from Monday covers conditions well. Read it again before heading out!

04/22/2026

Researchers Ian McCammon and Sara Boilen are developing new tools for managing human factors for backcountry skiers and boarders. This survey asks about personal experiences with human factors and will take 7-8 minutes to complete. Thank you for your help!

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

04/20/2026

April 20-23, 2026 - General Spring Avalanche Info:

Between now (Monday morning) and Friday, there will be a dramatic shift in the weather (from warm and sunny to cooler and snowy). This will lead to big changes in the types of avalanche problems you may encounter and the amount of avalanche hazard.

Today and Tuesday, wet loose avalanches will be the primary concern.

Wednesday will be a transition day as the next storm moves in.

By Thursday morning, the new snow will be piling up and temperatures will be more wintery. It’ll be a nice opportunity to get in a little more powder riding, but be ready to bring you avalanche A-game.

Read the full bulletin at mtavalanche.com for more specifics.

04/17/2026

April 17-19, 2026 General Spring Avalanche Info:
Skiers and riders can easily trigger avalanches that involve the recent snow and could be large enough to bury or injure a person. The recent heavy snowfall creates a variety of avalanche problems that you might encounter this weekend. If you plan to travel on or underneath steep slopes, carefully assess the stability of the new snow and the potential for natural or human-triggered avalanches.

The type of avalanche problems, and snow stability, will change through the weekend and through each day. Today the primary concerns will be wind slab, storm slab and dry loose avalanches. Tomorrow and Sunday, wet loose avalanches, or possibly wet slabs, will become active during the warmer part of the day.

Yesterday skiers at Bridger Bowl triggered slabs and dry loose slides of the new snow, and saw cracking indicating instability (photo). Anticipate similar activity today.

Through the weekend, you should keep an eye out for signs of instability that indicate the recent snow is unstable. These can range from cracking across the snow surface in dry snow indicating winds slabs are unstable, to rollerballs or a moist snow surface indicating wet avalanches are becoming likely.

Anticipate increasing potential for natural and easily triggered wet snow avalanches through the day, especially on slopes that receive direct sunshine. This might happen in a few places today, but will likely happen most places tomorrow and Sunday.

04/13/2026

4/13: We issued our final daily forecast for the season yesterday, BUT there is snow coming this week and we are still updating general avalanche information twice per week, on Mondays and Fridays, through April (that means there’s a fresh one today).

Continue to follow along at www.mtavalanche.com for the most up-to-date information AND submit your observations to share avalanche information and support your backcountry communities.

Enjoy the snow this week and stay safe out there!

04/12/2026

The final daily avalanche forecast of the season (April 12) is up on the website www.mtavalanche.com.

A little rain, a little snow, and a little lightning will keep it interesting today!

Beginning tomorrow and running through April, we will post general avalanche conditions updates on Mondays and Fridays. Thank you all for the great season! We really appreciate the support, shared enthusiasm, and all the observations you sent in throughout the winter.

Keep the observations coming. They will appear on the observations page on our website and continue to inform members of our backcountry community!