Lawinenlagebericht

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Thu
Hochgebirge
4 · Gross
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Kernpunkte

Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist. Riders have remotely-triggered destructive avalanches on an almost-daily basis. It remains easy to trigger a slab 2 to 4+ feet thick that wraps around terrain features. Strong winds will transport snow onto a weak snowpack. This may cause some slopes to fail naturally. Give ALL steep slopes plenty of space.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Very Likely
    Größe
    2–3

    Triggering a deadly avalanche is likely. Wind-transported snow will stress buried weak layers today. Many recent avalanches are also being triggered remotely. This means you can be riding on flat terrain and trigger an avalanche that crashes down on top of you.

    The only way to manage this problem is to steer clear: we strongly recommend avoiding steep terrain altogether. This includes small slopes or slopes that you may perceive as “anchored” with vegetation. The slab is stiff enough that a triggered avalanche can pull back onto slopes with relatively lower slope angles.

    (2/22/2026)

    Debris and tees carried down and onto a snowmobile trail from a very large natural avalanche. While the avalanche did not have much vertical fall, it had the force to create a new avalanche path. A second, similar debris pile is visible across the trail in the background of the image.

    Photo: blase reardon

  • Wind Slabs

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

    The weather forecast is calling for strong to gale-force southwest winds. Southwest winds are expected to increase in speed early afternoon, with the greatest intensity tonight and tomorrow. This will transport snow into fresh slabs that will be sensitive to a rider's weight. A triggered or natural wind slab avalanche may step down to a buried weak layer, triggering a very large, potentially unsurvivable avalanche.

    Your main clues today will be actively drifting snow. This should be obvious as the day goes on and winds increase. Identify those locations where you see transporting snow, and take cover in areas protected from the wind. Dune-shaped drifts and cracking around your boards or machine are other clues that indicate you found a wind slab problem.

    (1/6/2026)

    Drifting snow, like the one photgraphed here, will be your sign to take cover to areas sheltered from the wind. 

    Photo: Guy Zoellner

Avalanche Discussion

Southwest winds are in the driver's seat today and will be the main factor contributing to changing conditions. Recent snowfall and strong winds today have kept the avalanche danger at HIGH in the Flathead Range. Even though we’ve dropped the danger rating to CONSIDERABLE in the Swan and Whitefish Ranges, it is still downright dangerous everywhere.

Observations from yesterday honestly puzzle us a little bit. Rob and I were in the Swan Range and observed a few large natural avalanches (D2) that likely failed that morning or the night before. We felt signs of wind-stiffened snow, and that basin only got 2 inches overnight. One could say that the snowpack experienced minimal loading, yet it produced natural avalanches. In the Flathead Range, the BNSF Avalanche Safety program observed one large (D2.5) avalanche outside the forecast area on Little Dog with no other observed avalanches. That region picked up a foot of new snow with an inch of water. We were anticipating a natural avalanche cycle in that range with the amount of new snow and wind. There is uncertainty about whether this wind event will trigger a round of natural avalanches.

An image below shows the distribution of Persistent Slab avalanches since February 1st. Many of those were human-triggered. We’ve received reports of 6 people caught, carried, partially or fully buried. Thankfully, everyone survived. These conditions are not going to go away soon. Thank you to everyone who has shared their observations and experiences with the community. 

Join us at Blackstar Brewing in Whitefish TONIGHT from 5:00 to 8:00 for pint night! Blackstar will generously be donating 1 dollar of every beer to Flathead Avalanche, so come on down enjoy a few beverages and grab a bite to eat. Forecaster Josh Lipkowitz will share a brief snowpack update, followed by a presentation from Joe Messina of the National Weather Service (from Missoula) at 7:00 PM. We’ll also be raffling off some great goodies—come grab a pint, mingle with friends, and join the conversation.

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