Public Observation - Mt Adams/Essex Creek/Marion Lake divide.

Location Name: 
Public Observation - Mt Adams/Essex Creek/Marion Lake divide
Region: 
Flathead Range - Middle Fork Corridor
Date and time of observation: 
Fri, 01/01/2016 - 12:00
Location Map: 

Red Flags: 
Recent avalanche activity
Observation made by: Public
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

Excavated a quick hole on the uptrack, about 100 feet below the top of Mt Adams, perhaps 4/5 turns into your run. Fist hardness/top 20cm,  then 4 finger/middle 60 and the bottom 50 was composed of numerous melt freeze crust on top of the early December rain crust.  The large facets were below the rain crust, which was deteriorating.  Lots going on there.

 

 

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Any other comments about the observation or links to outside pages that have more info on the observation: 

Unfortunately, the sun/solar radiation from the 31st created a bit of a zipper crust on southerly aspects and the snow was moist.  The crust had about 1 cm of low density new snow on it that was unafected(thus the crust materialized on the 31st, not today.  Created abit of havoc sticking to your skins and freezing to your edges.

Mt Adams had a 10+/-cm soft slab that was wide spread with some isolated hard slabs depending on the exposure from yesterdays wind. 

Watching someone ski the south/easterly aspect off of Adams the soft slab was easily set in motion and traveled a few hundred vertical feet in steeper terrain, but was manageble.  

Ski quality was good, but you had to choose your aspect accordingly as per wind or solar affect.

Suface hoar was also starting to develop, small/.2-3 cm, but with the upcoming high pressure/clear nights forcasted, it is sure to grow a fair amount.

Weather Observations
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Air temperature trend: 
Cooling
More detailed information about the weather: 

17F when we left the car in Essex, car temp gauge read zero when we returned.  Cold in the shade, warm in the sun.

Activity: 
Skiing
High Temp. (C): 
17F
Low Temp. (C): 
0F