Skip to main content
Flathead Avalanche Center
Responsive Links
Advisories
Observations
Donate
Forecasts
Avalanche Forecasts
Whitefish Range
Swan Range
Flathead Range and Glacier N. P.
Archives
Sign up for emailed forecasts
Tutorials
How to read the Forecast
Avalanche Problems
The Danger Scale
Observations
Observations
Field Observations
Observations prior to Oct.1 2022
Incidents
Snowpack Tracker
Submit Observation
Weather
Western MT Backcountry Weather Forecast
Weather Station Table
Weather Station Map
Education
Classes and Events
Course List
Event Calendar
Class Details and Registration
Northern Rockies Snow & Avy Workshop
Mentorship
Videos
Throttle Decisions Video Series
Local Awareness Videos
Online Resources
Avalanche Encyclopedia
Avalanche Canada tutorial
Know Before You Go Online Course
Backcountry Ascender - Motorized Specific
BCA Tutorial
FOFAC Recorded Classes
About
Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center
FOFAC
How To Help
Sponsors
Donate
Flathead Avalanche Center
Blog
Staff
Contact
Annual Reports
Donate
Paola Ridge buried surface hoar
Location Name:
Forecaster Observation - Paola Ridge, Flathead Range
Observation date:
Thursday, January 11, 2018 - 13:15
Is this an Avalanche Observation:
No
Observation made by:
Forecaster
Location
Tabs
Quick Observation
Snow:
About 6" of new snow above 1/9/18 rain crust up to approx. 5800'.
Above 5800' no rain crust observered with approx. 15" of new snow.
Weather:
Temperature inversion: 7 Degrees F at truck (3800' ) and 20's F on ridgetop.
Light snow throughout the day (S-1) and light southwest winds.
Avalanche Conditions:
We observed no obvious Red Flags (shooting cracks, collapsing, or recent avalanche activity) .
We dug a pit on east aspect at approx. 6800' to get an picture of what we were standing on. To our surprise, our stability test (ECT) propagated with hard force approx. 75 cm down on a 2-3 mm buried surface hoar layer.
Due to this result, we changed our descent route to lower angle slopes (<35 degrees) while avoiding steep slopes with convexities.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images:
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Videos:
January 11, 2018 - Surface Hoar...the Silent Monster
Video of January 11, 2018 - Surface Hoar...the Silent Monster
Travel Details
Region:
Flathead Range - Middle Fork Corridor
Route Description:
Traveled from Hungry Horse east on HWY 2 to Essex. Climbed the standard route to Paola Ridge.
Activity:
Skiing
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details:
Terrain
Elevation of observation:
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation:
NE
E
Red Flags:
More than a foot of new snow or heavy snowfall rates (>1"/hr)
Persistent Weak Layers:
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours:
15.00in.
Total Snow Depth:
240cm
More comments about the snowpack and weather:
Stout rain crust up to about 5800' with 6" of new snow from 1/9-10 storm cycle. Above 5800', snow depth got progressively deeper and while approaching the ridge, we noticed an obvious increase in new snow making for challenging trail breaking. Total HS was 240 cm. Probed what we thought was the 12/17 rain crust at 177 cm below the surface while the Thanksgiving crust was probed at 207 cm. Stability test results: CT13 Q3 down 36 cm, CT25 Q3 down 55 cm, and CT27 Q2 down 75 cm; ECTN14 down 37 cm, ECTN22 down 55 cm, and ECTP25 and 24 down 75 cm on a buried surface hoar layer (2-3 mm).
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details:
Date and Time of Avalanche:
Thursday, January 11, 2018 - 22:15
