Changing conditions in the Flathead

Traveled to Essex Mountain to observe changing conditions.  Snowfall amounts exceeded forecast and caused a rapid increase in shallow instabilities mid day.

• 3" of new snow at valley floor and up to 8" at ridgetop, with heavy snowfall rates late morning (S5).  This triggered numerous small loose dry avalanches, up to D1.5.  
• Southwest winds increased by mid-day and were forming sensitive soft slabs in a few locations.  We were able to trigger two small pockets 8-12" thick and observed several shooting cracks in lens-shaped drifts.  We also noted one small natural wind slab on an east facing slope at 7,000'.  
• We avoided obvious cross-loaded and leeward features in terrain where the consequences of a small slide would have been bad, and used sluff management in wind sheltered terrain. We opted for gullies and windsheltered slopes that are holding a deeper, stronger, and more uniform snowpack.