Let It Rain

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - southern Whitefish Range
Observation date: 
Monday, March 14, 2022 - 14:30
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Forecaster

Location

Tabs

Quick Observation

I traveled to WMR to present to The Patrol Fund level 1 avalanche class. Trying to make the most of the day, I visited the beacon park off the Greywolf run and went for a short walk east of Flower Point.

  • I noted propagation with easy to moderate force in pits around 6500 feet on an east and southeast aspect. The failure occurred about a foot below the surface on a thin layer of facets adjacent to a crust. Visit the Snowpack tab for more information.
  • It was easy to initiate cracking and get small slabs of snow to move as I traversed above my skin track. In areas where I had not compromised the integrity of the slope, cracking and small slab movement did not occur.  
  • The March 4 rain crust is approximately 6 inches thick and supportable to foot travel. This layer is about 2 feet below the surface in this area.
  • An experienced local backcountry user mentioned that his group accidentally triggered a soft slab avalanche 8-10 inches thick on a northeast aspect around 5800 feet.
  • If you haven't visited the Greywolf beacon park, I recommend visiting. It is superior to the beacon park at the summit of WMR due to the lack of electrical interference and more extensive terrain, which is flatter and more open.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Whitefish Range - Southern (south of Coal Creek)
Activity: 
Skiing
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
5000-6500 ft
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
E
SE
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Facets or Faceted Crust
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
2.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
285 cm
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
Pit #1- East aspect at 6450 feet. HS=295cm. Top 25cm recent snow (4F+) resting on a 3cm crust sandwich consisting of 2-1cm crusts surrounding 1cm small faceted grains. 32 cm snow (1F- to 1F+) capping the 3/4 rain crust which is 15 cm thick and Pencil hard. ECTP 12 and ECTP 14 on the facets between the thin crusts. Pit #2 - Southeast aspect at 6600 feet. HS=280cm. 5cm snow from 3/14 resting on a 1cm sun crust. 24cm (4F+) snow resting on a 1 cm crust. Beneath this is 30 cm (1F- to 1F+) capping the 3/4 crust which is 15 cm thick and Pencil hard. ECTP 9 on top of the crust 30 cm down.
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Snow line: 
4000'
Sky Cover: 
Obscured by fog, etc (X)
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
Very Light Snowfall (S-1)
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Monday, March 14, 2022 - 12:00
Number of avalanches: 
1
Avalanche Type: 
Soft Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
New/old snow interface
Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
skier
Trigger Modifier: 
Accidentally Triggered
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
35
Aspect: 
Northeast
Starting Elevation: 
near-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D1.5
Relative Size: 
R1 Very Small
Crown Height: 
Less than 1 ft
Avalanche Location: