ABC Easy as...123

With limited time for a field day, we took advantage of some old reliables outside the boundary of WMR to get a sense of today's storm slab problem. With HIGH danger and an Avalanche Warning in effect, we chose wisely and gathered good data safely and efficiently.

• We found soft slabs reactive to the weight of our skis on mid-elevation north and east aspects. Intentionally triggering slides was as simple as... Do re mi. Shuffling up to rollovers or steep slopes produced slabs that propagated 15 - 45 feet wide on relatively small terrain features. Slabs were 9 - 12 inches thick, failed on firmer old snow, and ran relatively far for the terrain. Slabs were very soft, F+ to 4F, which limited propagation. No natural slab activity was noted in the limited area we visited.
• Natural Loose Dry avalanches ran overnight and through the day on steep north, east, and south slopes. Intentionally triggering these was Easy as... 123. Sluffs were 9 - 12 inches thick and ran on the same firm layer the slabs failed on.
• The rain/snowline in the southern Whitefish Range was around 4000 feet between noon and 5:00 pm. 
• We did not visit areas holding potato chip size surface hoar that The Patrol Fund Level 2 avalanche class reported this weekend. Due to today's elevated danger, these slopes were "closed" and off-limits.