Cover all exposed flesh

Location Name: BNSF Avalanche Safety - Running Rabbit Mtn GNP Observation date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 - 17:45	Is this an Avalanche Observation: No

Observation made by: Public

Tabs

Quick Observation

Ascended the ridge to the west of the Shed 11 avalanche path to the weather station at 6400’ elevation. Descended the same route.
Objectives were to observe recent snowfall totals and the extent of recent wind-loading, look for any avalanche activity, and assess snowpack structure and stability in this area.

No avalanche activity observed, but visibility was very limited all day.
Overnight snow totals ranged from 2-3” on the Canyon floor, another 1-2” of snow fell throughout the day.
The advertised arctic air arrived by mid-morning. Winds clocked to the E-NE and were blowing at moderate intensities and actively loading westerly aspects at all elevations. These fresh wind slabs were ~10-15” thick by mid-afternoon.
In areas sheltered from the wind, the new snow is not cohesive enough to form a slab yet and here we found no signs of instability.
Ski cuts in the new wind slabs on westerly aspects resulted in some shooting cracks (3-5’ long) and some very small slab releases. Ski cuts on easterly aspects (older wind slabs) were mostly unreactive to ski cuts with only slight cracking, 1-2’ long.
Dug a hasty snow pit in the upper starting zone of the Shed 11 avalanche path at 6400’ on a southerly aspect. Snow depth was 70” with about a foot of new snow from the storm accumulated on crust/facet/crust layer sandwich (pit profile below). No propagating fractures with an Extended Column Test.

Overcast or obscured skies with on again/off again periods of snowfall with intensities up to S1.
Light to moderate easterly winds with occasional strong gusts at all elevations.
Air temperatures have been dropping all day. As of 1700 they range from -3 to 3 °F on the Canyon floor and -15 to -11 °F at weather stations above 6000’.

Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images:

Travel Details

Region:

Flathead Range/Glacier National Park - John F. Stevens Canyon

Activity:

Skiing