I was waiting to have mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner, but I was served some this morning in the southern Whitefish Range in the form of wet, heavy snow. While the rain has melted quite a bit of the mid-elevation snowpack there is snow up high and certainly enough for avalanches to occur.  The northern part of the advisory areas has received the lion's share of the precip which, at the upper most elevations, still translates to a substantial amount of snow. At upper elevations this new snow combined with wind is likely forming wind slabs near the tops of ridges and in gullies. Rising temperatures and rain on snow also created an upside-down snowpack at upper elevations thus creating a storm slab avalanche problem as well. So, pay attention to these changing conditions like wind slab formation and warming and how it affects snow stability. Hunters and climbers should also be aware of changing condtions during the early season as you venture higher into the mountains. 

The early season is a great time to practice your transceiver skills. You can practice anywhere, and all of the grasses and bushes sticking up out of the snow makes it easy for your partner to hide his/her transceiver. Speaking of practice, it's also a great time to start brushing away the cobwebs in the part of your brain that thinks about avalanches, and attend one of the upcoming classes this fall. Check here for a calendar. The next avalanche awareness class is this Friday, November 20 at 7:00 pm at the Stonefly Lounge in Coram. Many of these classes are hosted by local shops and retailers, and we appreciate their support in helping educate backcountry users. 

While you are dreaming about powder-filled slopes you might also check out the online tutorials under the Education tab. There are a number of resources from the National Avalanche Center and the American Avalanche Association. There is also a great tutorial from Avalanche Canada as well as their Throttle Decisions video series. 

Also, look for upcoming information on the Snowball from the Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center (FOFAC). If you are out in the mountains, let us know what you are seeing. How much snow is on the ground? Where was the rain/snow line this past weekend? How were the ice conditions? All of it helps. You can drop us a line at [email protected], call us at 406.387.3821, or submit an observation.

We will not issue danger ratings until we start issuing regular advisories, and this year we will issue advisories 7 days/week. Woohoo! We will likely begin issuing regular advisories within the first couple weeks of December, conditions dependent. .We will continue to update the site with snowpack and avalanche information as conditions warrant and change.