Liquid Water Content Measurements from Bridger Bowl Ski Area, MT, March and April 2025

The Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in West Glacier, MT, in collaboration with Montana State University, collected liquid water content measurements at Bridger Bowl Ski Area, MT, during March and April 2025. Forecasting wet slab avalanches remains one of the most demanding challenges in operational avalanche forecasting. A key obstacle is the difficulty of observing and quantifying liquid water content (LWC) and tracking its infiltration into the snowpack. Field measurements are labor-intensive, highly variable in space, and often influenced by user application or sensor design — making them impractical for forecasting operations. We collected LWC measurements obtained from two capacitive sensors, the SLF SnowPro 17 and 25. We analyzed five selected days with pronounced melt events during spring 2025. While the SnowPro 17 measures LWC on the sidewall, we inserted the SnowPro 25 into the pit wall. We then compared measurements from the two sensors to assess consistency and potential systematic differences.