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Thrill of the Hunt
Location Name:
Forecaster Observation - Swan Lake
Observation date:
Sunday, November 20, 2022 - 15:00
Is this an Avalanche Observation:
No
Observation made by:
Forecaster
Tabs
Quick Observation
Stagnant air advisory = surface hoar?:
Foud only pockets of surface hoar in the best growing locations (open canopy, sheltered from sun) at low and mid elevations.
Tromped through some thin/hard (2") wind slabs above 5500'. These cracked easily under the weight of a skier.
Noticed widespread faceting of the surface snow
Snowpack at 4000' was 8" of facets with a brittle crust ~ 2" down.
Snowpack at 6200' was 24" consisting of surface facets with faceting rounds beneath.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images:
Travel Details
Region:
Swan Range - East Side (Hungry Horse Reservoir access)
Activity:
Skiing
Hiking
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details:
Terrain
Elevation of observation:
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation:
SE
S
SW
Persistent Weak Layers:
Surface Hoar
Facets or Faceted Crust
On the surface
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours:
0.00in.
Total Snow Depth:
24
More comments about the snowpack and weather:
SH 5-10mm Pit @ 6200' SE aspect: HS= 60 cm CTH 24 (RP), 26 (RP) down 30cm between P faceting-rounds (0.5mm) and 1F faceting rounds (1.0mm), ECTX Base of the snowpack had pockets of F facets, and areas with basal ice layer. Wx: Cirrus clouds approaching from West
Wind Speed:
Calm (No air motion)
Air temperature:
Below Freezing
Sky Cover:
Partly Cloudy (SCT)
