Professional Observation - Canyon Creek, southern Whitefish Range

Location Name: 
Professional Observation - Canyon Creek, southern Whitefish Range
Region: 
Whitefish Range - Southern (south of Coal Creek)
Date and time of observation: 
Mon, 02/15/2016 - 11:00
Location Map: 

Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Rapid warming
Obvious avalanche path
Terrain Trap
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

We rode the Canyon Cr trail up to the the summit of Big Mountain.  We were curious if Skookoleel chutes/Fiberglass hill had slid.  They had not had any recent avalanche activity and the snow was much lighter than anticipated.  

We did see lots of rollerballs coming down from the north facing aspect (ski resort side) and some recent loose wet avalanches further down the canyon on the south faces.  

Our pit was dug on a NW facing wind loaded slope.  We found failure with moderate force (ECTN 13) 35 cm down on a layer of decomposing surface hoar.  The storm snow seemed to have bonded to the most recent crust and at the time of our digging was not very thick.  Our pit, however, was dug at around 11:00 and the wind was definitely transporting snow at that time.  

On the ride out we noticed clear skies, more roller ball activity and warmer temperatures at the lower elevations.

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
50% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Moderate (Small trees sway)
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Northwest
Accumulation rate: 
None
Activity: 
Snowmobiling