Avalanche forecast

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

You could trigger an avalanche 1 to 2 feet deep on steep slopes at upper elevations. Slabs will be thicker and more sensitive where wind has drifted recent snow. Choose low angle terrain if you find stiff snow that supports your weight or cracks around your feet or machine.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Southwest winds increased yesterday afternoon and transported snow above 6500'.  Look for fresh slabs of wind-drifted snow on slopes facing (NW-N-NE-E- SE).  Older slabs were deposited on very weak snow, ranging from soft to hard, and can break 1 to 2 feet deep. These slabs might propagate far wider than expected or well above you. You can find these on all aspects due to shifting wind directions during the last week and in isolated pockets below 6500'.

    Look for signs of wind-affected snow (like an etched surface or dune-shaped features) along ridges, saddles, and in open bowls. Cracking around your feet or machine is a sign of unstable snow, and a good reason to find a slope that is less steep or more sheltered from the wind. Hard slabs can support your weight and may not give signs of instability until it is too late. 

    An observation from the Flathead Range noted gusty winds blowing in all directions. They noted cracking and triggered a small soft slab on steep wind-affected slopes.

    (2/1/2025)

    Textured surfaces mean it is possible you will encounter unstable slabs of wind drifted snow. You are most likely to find these along ridges and saddles, or in open bowls or gullies. 

    Photo: Flathead Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

A couple items to note today:

  1. We removed Wind Slab from the Whitefish Range. Aside from a few moderate gusts, southwest winds have been light. Continue to look for isolated wind-affected features along exposed ridges or in open alpine bowls. Also, recall that the developing Persistent Slab problem could be more reactive on slopes where recent snowfall has been stiffened by wind. 
  2. On Tuesday, a party in the northern Flathead Range  reported large (D2) sluffs on a steep convexities. Manage this hazard by descending diagonally across slope so that loose snow sluffs beside you instead of over you. Sluff will be largest on very steep sustained slopes and in confined terrain features. Even small slides can have severe consequences if you are knocked off your line and carried over a cliff, through tight trees or deposited in gully, where snow can pile up deeply.
  3. Weak snow formed in January (and buried in February) is widespread in all zones and may be trending towards reactive (obs). 

With snowfall in the forecast and weak layers in the snowpack, expect increasing avalanche danger into next week. 

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