Avalanche forecast

Whitefish Range

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Recently-deposited slabs of drifted snow will be  sensitive to your weight or the weight of your snowmachine at upper elevations. On isolated slopes, these may be large enough to bury or injure a person. Sheltered, shady, mid-elevation slopes offer soft snow, better riding, and less hazard.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    While much of the Whitefish Range ducked the strong winds early this week, a spike in wind speeds overnight has likely drifted snow into soft slabs that can be dangerous if they're more than about 8 inches thick or on steep slopes above terrain traps. These slabs will feel denser and firmer than snow on sheltered slopes, which means your skis, board or snowmachine may not sink into the snow more than a few inches. They may also feel hollow and crack around you. They'll be most common near upper elevation ridgelines and in the tops of chutes, gullies, and couloirs.

    (3/9/2022)

    This large avalanche likely failed during the last snow and wind event early in the week

    Photo: Clancy Nelson

Avalanche Discussion

Goldilocks conditions - juuust right - may be tough to find today. Your best bet is probably sheltered, shady slopes at mid-elevations, where 6-12 inches of soft snow has accumulated above a very hard crust left by last week's atmospheric river.  Only a few inches of snow covers this crust at low elevations, making for difficult travel. Upper elevations harbor isolated slabs of recently-drifted snow large enough to bury or injure a person. These may be hard to detect amidst the mostly wind-damaged snow reported in the Lake McDonald area Wendesday, and the Swan Range Tuesday. 

There are exceptions to this general picture. Much more snow has accumulated in the Whitefish Range in the past week, particularly in the northern half. Tuesday, Guy and I found last week's crust buried by over two feet of recent snow at 6500 feet. The wind-affected snow we saw was limited to a ridgeline, and a party east of WMR that day reported similar conditions.  However, wind speeds picked up in the Whitefish Range late Wednesday, and are still blowing near or at speeds strong enough to transport snow. So I expect some of the soft snow at the surface in the Whitefish Range has been drifted into slabs near ridges and in the tops or edges of terrain that readily collects wind-blown snow, like chutes and gullies. My guess is that slabs large enough to be dangerous remain isolated. 

A warm, windy, and eventually wet southwesterly flow arrives this weekend. The system may bring enough new snow to change conditions and increase the avalanche danger. 

The Friends of The Flathead Avalanche Center and FVCC are hosting the last Intro to Avalanches next weekend. And on March 22, join us online for a Community Chat where we review recent conditions and debrief a near miss. 

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