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a surprise with every turn
Location Name:
Forecaster Observation -
Observation date:
Friday, February 25, 2022 - 17:30
Is this an Avalanche Observation:
No
Observation made by:
Forecaster
Tabs
Quick Observation
Quick obs after guest lecture w TPF L2.
New and recent snow on sheltered slopes was unreactive except for short-running sluffs in today's snow.
The 3-5 inches of low density snow in the past 24 hours disguised 2-4 inches of dense, wind-packed snow from earlier this week.
Lots of dunes and drifts in unusual places from the sustained winds earlier this week.
January's crusts aren't that far below the surface - 30-50 cm - and are sandwiching a soft layer of small facets. This didn't propagate in tests, and is unlikely to collapse without a major load on the crust above.
The best riding was on mid-elevation, wind-sheltered slopes - southerly slopes, in this case. Elsewhere, almost every turn had a surprise. Some good, some not.
Travel Details
Region:
Whitefish Range - Southern (south of Coal Creek)
Route Description:
4550 ft to 6650 ft
Activity:
Skiing
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details:
Terrain
Elevation of observation:
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation:
E
SE
S
SW
W
Persistent Weak Layers:
Facets or Faceted Crust
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours:
5.00in.
More comments about the snowpack and weather:
3" low density snow by late morning; another 1-2" through the day. Near-surface snow structure ~ 30 cm recent snow above MFcr. F-hard fluff, 4F+ wind pack, graupel, then 3-5 cm old snow above MFcr. Shearing cleanly in hand pits but no cracking, even stomping on uphill side of skin track. Test profile at 6200', SE, 36* slope. ECTN 21 40 cm below surface in F+ FC between 2 K-hard MFcr. Junky layer, but unlikely to collapse with crust above. In hand pits, did not find SH buried by today's snow, though I didn't do an exhaustive search.
Blowing Snow:
None
Wind Speed:
Calm (No air motion)
Wind Direction:
Southwest
Air temperature:
Below Freezing
Snow line:
1000'
Sky Cover:
Obscured by fog, etc (X)
Highest Precipitation Rate:
Light Snowfall (S1)
