Lawinenlagebericht

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
1 · Gering
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 7 months ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

You are unlikely to trigger an avalanche on most slopes. Reduce the consequences of any slide by riding one at a time on steep pitches. Cold temperatures can complicate any mishap: make a simple plan and bring extra gear.

 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    Weak layers buried 1 to 3 feet deep caused a rash of human-triggered and natural avalanches over 10 days ago.  Most avalanches that occurred on these layers were large enough to bury a person.  Some were destructive enough to break mature trees. 

    You are least likely to trigger an avalanche in low-angle terrain or on slopes with a strong and supportable surface crust. This crust will be thinner, weaker, or non-existent on shaded slopes above 6500'. Consider moving to lower-angled slopes anywhere you or your machine start to punch deeper into the snowpack. 

    You might not observe obvious signs of instability before triggering a slide. Avalanches can break well above you and propagate widely. Favor slopes where an unexpected slide won't carry you through rocks and trees, push you over a cliff, or bury you deeply in a gully.

    (1/15/2026)

    This large avalanche likely failed on a buried weak layer at 7,400 feet on a NE Aspect. This avalanche occurred naturally and sometime earlier in the week (1/10-1/13).

    Photo: Guy Zoellner

Avalanche Discussion

With uneventful weather and decreasing danger, it is easy to shift into autopilot. Fight complacency by anticipating, noticing, and responding to outliers from the recent patterns. 

Example 1-

  • Pattern: “A bomber crust exists everywhere and will keep me from triggering buried weak layers.”
  • Outlier: “Wow, the riding is surprisingly soft on this slope.” 
  • Response: “Let’s make less aggressive terrain choices in case the buried weak layers are still sensitive.” 

Example 2-

  • Pattern - “The weather isn’t doing anything.”
  • Outlier - “Ow, it’s colder than I had hoped.”
  • Response - “Let’s plan for a shorter day, to reduce the chances of getting stuck out overnight.”

Submit your observations for a chance to win an ORTOVOX probe and shovel!

  • Open to all motorized riders (snowmobiles and snowbikes).
  • One obs per day, as many days/month as you can get.
  • Monthly drawing on the first of each month.
  • This month's prizes donated by @JESCOMontana

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