Avalanche forecast

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Conditions remain ripe for exploring. As you climb higher in elevation and into terrain more exposed to wind, expect to find thin slabs of drifted snow on the lee sides of ridges, near summits, and in chutes and couloirs. Steer around these, and expose only one rider at a time if you commit to steep terrain above potential terrain traps.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    1–2

    At upper elevations, look for - and avoid - pockets of wind-blown snow on the lee (easterly) sides of ridges, at the tops of chutes and couloirs, and under overhanging cornices. Pay particular notice to freshly-drifted dunes and pillows, which will be the most sensitive to the weight of a rider or snowmachine. Slabs that formed late last week have mostly stabilized, though it pays to check with slope cuts before committing to steep, consequential terrain. 

    (1/13/2025)

    Jan 13th, 2025: Recent winds cross-loaded snow onto the lee (easterly) side of this ridge. 

    Photo: Ted Steiner

Avalanche Discussion

We're nearing the tail end of the weather pattern that's dominated since New Year's Eve. That pattern has brought light snow, cool temperatures, and generally light winds to the region, along with a stubborn layer of stratus clouds. The stable weather has allowed midpack persistent weak layers to strengthen, and avalanche hazards have trended to isolated and unreactive. Motorized and human-powered travel conditions have been good with the exception of scattered rime and freezing rain crusts near the surface.

That pattern leaves isolated wind slabs at upper elevations as the primary avalanche concern. Most formed during a bout of strong winds on Friday, January 10. A few new, thin slabs may have formed overnight, thanks to increased hourly average wind speeds and gusts of 30 to 60 mph. Today's gusty winds may continue to build these slabs. However, without much snow available for transport, I expect these to be confined to exposed, upper-elevation terrain.

Travel advice for this hazard will sound familiar by now: do your due diligence before climbing, sidehilling, or dropping into chutes and bowls on the lee sides of ridges. Look for dense or hard patches of wind-blown snow and crossloaded drifts on the sides of chutes and couloirs. Pick lines that have clean runouts. 

The approaching change in the weather pattern looks to affect travel conditions more than avalanche hazards. This event may be the coldest in several years. While we should see light snow late Friday, weather models aren't showing the setup for an overrunning snowfall event. The cold temperatures will continue to weaken the near-surface snowpack, creating a potential weak layer when snowfall does return. 

Regions covered