Professional Observation - Blaine Mtn, Swan Range

We rode into Doris Creek and the Jenny lake area today.  Riding conditions were outstanding, with minimal wind affect until approximately 6000-6500 ft.  Above that the wind had been ripping quite well and made for a dramatic looking landscape.  

• We found a weak bond at the interface between the colder late storm snow and the denser early snow.  We found this on several aspects and at all elevetions until we got up into the windy areas.
• Once in the alpine terrain we did have a wind slab fail with hard force (ECTP 22) 35 cm down.  
• We had shallow shooting cracks (mostly 5-10 cm deep) on the wind loaded slopes.  
• The Swan face was extremely wind scoured, and the ridgetops have enormous cornices built up right now.  
• Snow amounts seemed to be roughly 12-16 inches on the lower roads and then increase to roughly 16-18 near the 6000 foot mark.  
• We could see lots of evidence of recent avlanches from the last storm.  In the higher terrain we could see wind slabs that had peeled off and run 3/4 path.  In the sheltered terrain there was plenty evidence of storm slabs peeling off on almost every convexity.  Most of these were small, running less then 100 vertical feet.  
• Above 6000 ft, in the sheltered North facing slopes we saw small surface hoar developing.
• One deep slab ran off of the back side of Great Northern (SW'ly aspect)