Hold on tight to those handle bars.

Today we went into the Swan Range to view recent avalanche activity and get a feel for storm slab sensitivity. Our first attempt was to go into Noisey Basin. The ice skating rink/road turned us around, so we made an audible to the Northern Swan. Access from the hungry horse side is a significantly better approach. FYI.

• Despite warm air temperatures, cool winds rapidly refroze the surface. By 1200, the surface down to 5000 feet was refrozen into a 3 to 4 inch rain crust. This crust supported a snowmachine in places. In other areas where it was breakable, it made for challenging riding conditions. The crust rode you more than you rode it. 
• We found widespread storm slab avalanches at mid and upper elevations, which likely occurred this morning or last night. These mostly ranged from 1 to 2 feet thick and were large enough to bury and kill a person.
• Click here if you are having trouble viewing the video below. 

Today was a day for viewing.