Lawinenlagebericht

East Cabinet Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Kernpunkte

The Kootenai will see its' first glimpse of spring like conditions this week. As temperatures rise and cloud cover dissipates we can expect the snowpack to weaken at lower elevations and on sunny aspects. Clear and sunny skies may test the snowpack on Wednesday though Friday, for the best riding and safest conditions move to the shady side of the mountain and stick to terrain lower than 35 degrees this week.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    You will see the temperatures climb above freezing in the mountains today. Anticipate all that soft, fresh powder that fell last Thursday to get wet, sticky and flow down the hill. The sun may peak out a bit as well, if it gets sunny the snowpack will weaken and your best bet is to head over to northerly facing aspects were it is cooler. Predicted cloud cover should keep this issue from getting too crazy today; but, Wednesday I expect the surface stability will decline with sunny skies and above seasonal temperatures.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

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

    Ok, I get it. Tired of hearing about it right!? Well, I'm tired of talking about, it's just like COVID-we're all over it. The problem is it's still there and causing trouble. Multiple weak layers in the snowpack that just won't go away. In the Cabinets we have crust layers with facets, buried surface hoar 4-5 feet deep, and a layer of graupel. The Purcells have multiple crust layers and facet sandwiches and buried surface hoar which is much closer to the surface. The tricky part right now is that these weak layers aren't always reactive and may not show up in stability tests. But, experienced riders and avalanche professionals are still seeing real-world results with avalanches propagating for large distances across slopes. This week I anticipate the snowpack will see a good test with the sun and warm temperatures-south and westerly aspects will really be the spots to watch. If these weak layers are going to fail on their own accord we may see it happen in the upcoming days. I fully plan to avoid being on or under south and west aspects if steep terrain is involved. The possibility of these aspects stepping down to the deeper weak layers will rise as loose wet slides start to roll down the hill in the sunshine. We shall see!??

  • Wind Slabs

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

    At upper elevations on north and east facing terrain you may find some lingering wind slabs. They are likely to be getting stiff and stubborn. A big concern here is tripping off a small slab that steps down to one of our deeper persistent weak layers.

Avalanche Discussion

On Saturday there was an avalanche fatality near Tiger Peak in Idaho. Avalanche forecasters in Idaho are performing an investigation and more info will be coming soon. In the meantime, keep family and friends of the victim in mind and remember this can happen to any of us that play in the mountains, no one is expempt and we all make mistakes. 

This year has been a tricky time related to avalanche concerns and the number of avalanche deaths continues to rise with February being one of the deadliest months in U.S. history. Good snow stability will come in time; but, don't rush it. Take your time and make good objective decisions. There was an avalanche reported near Roman Nose in the Selkirks triggered by snowmobilers, and yesterday I observed a fresh crown about 2 feet deep above Hawkins Lake in the Purcells. Avalanches are still being triggered and catching folks by surprise (including myself here!)

 

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