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No one was hurt or buried, but experts at the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center accidentally triggered a large and dangerous slide on Thursday.

The slide happened on the south face of Mount Abundance, north of Cooke City, in a popular snowmobiling area.

The GNFAC calls the three to six foot deep slide, which cut across the entire slope, a "serious and deadly avalanche."

The avalanche center says the snow is just as weak and unstable near West Yellowstone.

"The bottom foot and a half, two feet is like sand. Looking at the snow structure, it's really bad. We've got loose, kind of junky depth hoar, not strong snow, trying to hold up whatever comes in," Doug Chabot said.

The weekend avalanche danger near West Yellowstone and Cooke City is listed as considerable while the danger level is moderate for the Bridgers and the northern Madison range.