Field of Dreams

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Stevens Canyon
Observation date: 
Saturday, February 19, 2022 - 19:45
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
No
Observation made by: Forecaster

Location

Tabs

Quick Observation

Day off ski with better-than-expected snow and weather conditions.

  • Strong westerly winds at ridges, though we experienced calm to light winds on our easterly and northerly ascent route. Light blowing snow above 6500 ft.  
  • Below 5000 feet, the snow surface in open areas was 1-2" of wet schmoo on a supportable crust. In forested areas, no schmoo; barely supportable melt-freeze grains littered with debris.
  • From 5-6000 feet, the surface was moist-dry recent snow. Some glopping on the skins. 
  • Above 6000 feet, we found this week's 4-6" of snow remained dry. It sat on a <1" crust with about an inch of small facets below. Some planar shears above and below the crust in hand pits, but the snow above isn't a stiff slab where it's not wind affected. 
  • We found some thin (1-3") 4 finger hard wind slabs in open areas, along with other wind effects (images). We avoided steep, leeward slopes below the ridge because of likely wind slab hazards. 
  • We enjoyed settled, recycled pow on our north-facing descent until about 5400 feet, when we paid the price in a "field of dreams" - several hundred feet of fresh, refrozen rollerballs (image). After that, happy to see the schmoo. 
  • Made it out just before the ominous clouds collided and the snow and rain started in earnest. 
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Flathead Range/Glacier National Park - John F. Stevens Canyon
Route Description: 

4200-7400 ft

Activity: 
Skiing
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
N
NE
E
SE
Red Flags: 
Blowing snow
Rollerballs / pinwheels
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
0.50in.
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
Broken skies in the AM, overcast by midday, then ominous dark clouds to NE over Marias Pass and N in Middle Fork. Winds westerly, until early afternoon, when they seemed to die down as aforementioned ominous clouds built. Then got all a-swirly, with westerly and easterly gusts alternating in the same minute. Light snow by 2pm. Turned to light rain at Java, rained up the Middle Fork until about Nyack Flats. 42* at highway in AM; 37* midafternoon.
Blowing Snow: 
Light
Wind Speed: 
Moderate (Small trees sway)
Wind Direction: 
West
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Snow line: 
4000
Sky Cover: 
Increasing clouds
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
Very Light Snowfall (S-1)