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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Kernpunkte

It's all or nothing conditions - large, remotely triggered avalanches (four in the past three days) or few signs of instability. Don't bring a dangerous avalanche down on yourself and your friends; stringently stick to low-angle terrain that's not under steep start zones. Small wet snow avalanches are possible on steep, sun exposed slopes.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Four remotely-triggered hard slabs in the past three days (near Essex, Werner Peak, Hornet, Hornet), and a large natural near Spotted Bear, all on easterly slopes and mostly above 6500 feet. At the same time, riders are reporting inconsistent results in large column tests on northerly slopes, with inconsistent reports of collapses as well. Pay attention to the first data set; a slide walloping you from above is much more consequential than missing out on some ok riding. 

    The primary concern remains the January Drought Layer, with a second , more recently-buried persistent weak closer to the surface. The distribution and sensitivity of these troubling layers varies with aspect and elevation, and from zone to zone. Nonetheless, it's pretty easy to generalize - you can get into serious trouble on steep slopes that face northwest through northeast to south.

     What to do? Stick to low angle slopes that aren't under steep start zones. On both the up and down. Be exacting and rigorous. At least one accident in this cycle occurred when a rider stepped a few feet too far off a ridge. 

    Debris from several of the recent triggered slides has run through stands of trees (here, here). And scary amounts of debris have resulted from slides on small terrain features. Don't assume anchoring or understimate consequences.

    (3/2/2026)

    Crown of a very large (D3) hard slab avalanche that was remotely triggered on Snowshed Mountain. 

    Photo: Michael Reavis

  • Loose Wet

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

    A weak refreeze, the warmest temperatures of the season, and partly-cloudy skies will conspire to create a wet snow avalanche hazard on steep, sunny slopes today. I don't expect these to involve much debris. They could be dangerous above terrain traps. You can avoid this hazard by staying off of and out from under steep sunny slopes today. 

    Most low elevation sunny slopes don't have enough snow cover for this hazard. 

    (1/15/2026)

    You might see some of these today. Stay out of their way.

    Photo: Guy Zoellner

Avalanche Discussion

We've arrived in the tricky period when conditions are diverging, and information about the danger is ambiguous. While you can try threading the needle, the consequences for getting it wrong remain serious. The solution remains sticking to low-angle terrain that's not in the runouts of start zones over your head.

For background, here's my sense of how things are developing. Keep in mind these generalizations come with a big helping of uncertainty.

  • The January Drought Layer remains the primary concern. It consists of buried surface hoar and facets sitting on a hard crust two to three feet below the snow surface. It's most widespread on shaded, sheltered slopes (N-NE-E). The remotely-triggered avalanches of the past few days appear to have failed on this layer. It may be more active on easterly slopes due to warming and radiation consolidating the slab above. 
  • If the JDL is stabilizing, it's doing so s-l-o-w-l-y. The slab remotely triggered Monday near Essex was adjacent to the  thinner slide captured in this video from  February 4th. Yep, a month ago. Same layer, same slope, thicker, more dangerous slab. Yeesh. 
  • My hackles go up when I see the surface hoar in the JDL more upright. Yet I still don't trust it when they're lying flat. Takeaway? Don't rely on snow profiles or tests right now; still too much variability and uncertainty.
  • A second persistent weak layer, buried on Valentine's Day, sits 12 to 18 inches below the surface; it's appears well developed on slightly more sunny slopes (E-SE-S). Yesterday (Monday), this layer was wet and propagated with moderate force on an ECT on a mid-elevation, southeasterly slope. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few natural slides on these aspects today.

That's a deep dive, but yesterday I stuck to low-angled treed slopes, and I will continue to do so for some time. 

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