Incoming snow and wind today will cause avalanche danger to rise by Wednesday morning. Loose dry snow in steep terrain will be the primary problem today with wind slabs and storm snow becoming a concern as the day progresses. Cold air and dangerous windchills are forecasted for the area this week, keep this fact in mind when you are making decisions and remember that getting injured or stuck in the mountains can create a dire situation!
The upper 1-2 feet of the snowpack is light and cold! If you drop into very steep terrain it is likely that loose dry snow will be flowing down the hill with you. Though not as dangerous as a slab avalanche, it is worth bearing in mind as you cannot afford to get injured or lose control of your day in today's weather scenario.
Yesterday we did not observe any wind or wind slab issues developing. Today however will bring snowfall and winds increasing out of the northeast. This will cause windslabs to develop on aspects where you would not expect them under our typical weather patterns. Anticipate windslabs to develop and become a problem by Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday as the storm rolls through. Highest snowfall totals are forecasted for the West Cabinets and will diminish as you travel north.
The persistent weak layer near the base of the snowpack is becoming stubborn and it is unlikely that you will trigger an avalanche on this layer right now in the Selkirks and West Cabinets. We were receiving reports of avalanches deep in the snowpack last week after the weekend storm (December 11th) and my partners experienced the snowpack collapsing near Bear Mountain last Thursday. I would continue to keep this layer on your radar, especially if you venture north along the Montana/Idaho boder near the Purcell Range.
On Monday we travelled to the Purcell Range via Spread Creek and toured out to Canuck Peak near the Idaho border. It was cold, and the snow was deep. Even with skis on we were sinking up to our thighs in the snow. The biggest challenge is staying warm and keeping clear vision with all the cold smoke powder billowing around as you snowmobile or ski down the hill. You can view a quick summary in the video below as well as a snowpilot profile from Jeff and Micah taken yesterday in the Selkirks. Avalanches are always a concern when playing in the mountains during the winter, but in all honesty the incoming weather is my biggest concern today (lots of snow, wind and subzero temperatures). Keep your saftety margins dialed in, and if you really want to stay safe just stay home and keep the fire going.
New observation platform is now on the site with a big thanks to our main man Mike Brede and the fundraising efforts of our Friends crew. Check it out.
Lastly, there is still room in IPAC's Level 1 motorized avalanche classe! Follow the link for details: https://www.idahopanhandleavalanche.org/friends-ipac-avalanche-safety-courses
