Lawinenlagebericht

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 2 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Sunshine, warm temperatures, and no overnight refreeze are creating dangerous avalanche conditions. Follow a solid trip plan that avoids steep slopes and the runouts of avalanche paths as the temperature rises.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2

    Above-freezing temperatures persisted throughout much of the region last night. Sunshine and increasing temperatures will continue to wet the snow. Travel on or below steep slopes is not advised. Small wet loose avalanches can entrain large amounts of snow and trigger larger avalanches. Gentle slope angles and areas free from overhead hazards are your safest bet today. 

    (4/1/2024)

    Debris from loose wet runs 2000 feet on steep slopes in the Flathead Range.

    Photo: Austin Seback/Sarah Williams

  • Cornices

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    Many places have seen temperatures at and above freezing for 24 hours. More sunshine and warm temperatures will add stress to looming cornices. When and if they break is hard to predict. Staying far back from ridgelines and minimizing time spent below will give the greatest chance of not tangling with a failing cornice. 

    Cornice falls were the trigger for very large hard slab avalanches during the last warming event. Avoid traveling on slopes below corniced ridgelines. 

    A season's worth of wind has built signifcant cornice features, like this, on exposed ridgelines. Use trees or exposed rocks to guide your distance back from the cornices edge as you travel in this type of terrain.  

    (3/7/2024)

    Photo: Mark Dundas

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    2–3

    While unlikely to trigger, this season’s Persistent Slab problem still exists on shaded slopes above 6,500 feet. North-facing, steep, and rocky terrain are the likely places to find the setup. Increased temperatures and solar radiation could affect even the deepest and darkest places today. Weak layers buried 2-4+ feet may still fail, producing very large and destructive avalanches.

    (3/2/2024)

    The crown of a very large avalanche with a width of over 1000 feet on Nyack Mountain. 

    Note the common terrain features of steep and rocky.

    Photo: Mark Dundas

Avalanche Discussion

For those who didn’t get fooled by warm temperatures yesterday and took to the mountains, the reward was an afternoon of gorgeous views and excellent snow conditions. Dry snow still existed on shaded slopes and corn could be found for a short window on south faces. In certain locations, the same may be on tap for today. 

The caveat is that overnight refreezing temperatures may not have occurred everywhere. Places that didn’t dip below 32 degrees will have a head start on surface snow sliding once the sun comes out and starts to warm things up. The shaded aspects that skied and rode so well yesterday could be gloppy and transitioning to moist this morning. Keep in mind that wet loose avalanches on south-facing slopes have mostly involved the top 3-5 inches of snow. North-facing slopes on the other hand have 10+ inches of dry snow. Once snow this snow begins to wet, avalanches will have the capacity to entrain large volumes of snow. 

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