We took advantage of today's weather window and general stability in the snowpack to tour into the alpine up to 8,600 ft in the Flathead Range.
Other recreational activities included viewing wolf tracks (on the road), wolverine tracks (near 7,000 ft) and observing multiple vehicles which had slid off the road, or which had become stuck in the warm snow.
Warning: Travel on the East Side of Hungry Horse is tricky w/ the diurnal swing of temps. We used chains and 4WD. We parked 3 miles from the trailhead and toured in to the trailhead on skis.
Toured to aprox 8,680 ft, just below the summit of a prominanat mountain in the Flathead Range, via a glaciated northern slope.
Observed the crowns 2 slab avalanches that likely failed during the recent tropical period(?) and several D1-2 Wet loose/ wet slab avalanche debies piles. We observed the crowns from afar on a ridgeline.
1) Below the ridge above 8,000 ft on NE aspect. This avalanche crown was below cornices and appeared to be relatively small (D1-2?). See photo of crown on NE aspect
2) Below the ridge above 8,000 ft on a solar SW aspect. This avalanche appeared to be large and entrained much of the upper elevation slope.
Cooler temps and clouds limited wet avalanche activity in the alpine today.
During our exit, on lower elevation slopes with solar exposure we easily triggered multiple D1 wet loose and wet slab avalanches. We managed this by anticipating the problem, managing terrain, and our group spacing.
