Public Observation - Wahoo and Rescue Creeks, Flathead Range

Location Name: 
Public Observation - Wahoo and Rescue Creeks, Flathead Range
Region: 
Flathead Range - Middle Fork Corridor
Date and time of observation: 
Sat, 03/04/2017 - 13:00
Location Map: 

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

The surface snow "quality" varied greatly depending on elevation. Below 4500 ft, the surface snow was very saturated and ski penetration was ~30 cm. There was a weak breakable crust in some areas. Above 4500 ft, the surface snow transitioned to drier (relatively!) loose snow, though certainly far denser than the recent 4% snow of our dreams.  Ski penetration was around 20 cm, with 30-40 cm of boot penetration. 

Coordinates refer to pit location. Aspect was around 350 degrees, slope angle about 20 degrees, and elevation 5800 ft. Total snow depth was 410 cm. The pit was 150 cm deep. Snow hardness varied gradually from fist - 4 finger - 1 finger until a fragile crust was encountered 150 cm below the surface. This crust was approximately 5 cm thick. 

Performed ECT and found no propagation. Some of the failures resulted in interesting "stair step" fractures across partial widths. All depths refer to distance from the snow surface. 

ECTN2   @ -10 cmECTN9   @ -20 cmECTN12 @ -27 cmECTN20 @ -45 cmECTN25 @ -70 cm

Snowpack photos: 
Any other comments about the observation or links to outside pages that have more info on the observation: 

Combined snow pit/avalanche observation...

Recent avalanches were apparent on all slide paths visible on Nyack Mt (spotted 4 crowns). Attached photos (in flat light...) show recent crowns at the head of the Cascadilla drainage and the head of Wahoo. The Cascadilla slide (R4, D3) deposited a large debris field in the flat pond area at 5300 ft. The crown height appeared to be up to 5-6 ft in places. Debris from the Wahoo slide (which appeared smaller than the Cascadilla slide) ran across a flat area and partially uphill. A few medium sized trees were uprooted and many others appeared to be recently bent. The debris was covered by about 1 ft of new snow.

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
Yes
Cloud Cover: 
75% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Cooling
Wind Direction: 
West
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

Wind and snowfall increased throughout the day. 

Activity: 
Skiing