Weekly Summary
January 23th-29th
Some things change and some remain the same. The week started out with generally dry, calm weather, keeping the avalanche danger low with those pesky persistent slabs as the only real concern. The rain crust from 1/13 continued to plague all of our mountain ranges, making riding conditions unappealing and even dangerous in many locations.
Reports continued to trickle in throughout the week, with excellent photos, of all the carnage from the 1/13 avalanche cycle. Meanwhile, everyone took notice of feathery hoar frost and sandy facets forming at the surface. Near the Continental Divide, climbers reported a deeply faceted snowpack. The rain crust still extends up to about 7000’, which is an excellent bed-surface for snow to slide on. By mid week there were two reports of Loose Dry/Sluff avalanches, reports here and here.
Small changes came mid-week as a series of weak storms started to affect the region. Variable winds transported snow onto leeside slopes and created localized wind slab concerns.
1-3” of snow fell late Thursday afternoon and overnight, overproducing forecasted amounts. The Whitefish and Swan ranges received the bulk of the precipitation, with WMR reporting 3” at the summit by Friday morning. Storm slabs became the focus to close out the week with more snow than expected falling onto weak and slick old snow surfaces.
A couple of minor systems will move through the region this weekend with mild conditions continuing into early next week. Expect up to a few inches of snow accumulation with each storm and keep an eye on changing avalanche conditions. Is this incremental loading of those dormant weak layers enough to awaken the dragon? We will soon find out. Public observations are key puzzle pieces, so be sure to let us know what you're seeing out there.
