Saint Mary's

The road up to the trailhead is driveable but icy. Four-wheel drive and/or chains are recommended. The Saint Mary's summer trail has many exposed rocks and roots and ice in many areas but is passable on skis.

South aspects in the Central Bitterroot are variable. Surface conditions are either breakable crusts of soft and loose facets. Snowpack depths also varied from a few inches to over three feet. We found widespread surface hoar as well as a layer of facets underneath small surface crusts. With incoming weather, these surface and near surface conditions pose a concern. 

There were a few inches on the road up to the trailhead but inconsistent snow on south facing slopes. The depth increased to 1-2 ft at 7100' and to 2-2 1/2 ft at 7800' on south and east aspects. On south aspects above 8000', as the trees began to thin, west and southwest winds have affected the snowpack. The average depth varied greatly from bare ground in some places to over three feet. We found widespread surface hoar at all elevations in open areas. Surface conditions also varied from breakable crusts to soft faceted snow at all elevations.

We dug a pit on a southeast aspect at 8500'. The depth of the pit was 3.5 ft (108cm). The layer of concern in this pit was a layer of near surface facets that formed below a crust at the surface. What is concerning about this layer is how it will support or not support a load of new snow. Below this layer of concern were layers of 1F - P hard (one finger to pencil) faceted snow and a moist K hard (knife) layer of faceted melt forms at the ground. We performed an Extended Column test and got no result (ECTX).