Bollettino valanghe

Flathead Range & Glacier NP

Flathead Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

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Limite del bosco
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In sintesi

Recent precipitation has fallen on a variety of crusts, with isolated areas harboring thin slabs of wind-drifted snow.  As you gain elevation, watch for the slab to thicken, increasing the hazard. A triggered avalanche could move faster and farther than expected. Sheltered slopes will provide the greatest snow quality while minimizing exposure to triggering a small slide.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–1.5

    Recent snow combined with light to moderate winds may have developed drifts below ridgelines. The resulting slabs will likely be thin; however, avalanches may travel faster and farther than expected because they will slide on various slick crusts formed by the January drought cycle. Leeward (NW-N-SE) slopes that received more than 4 inches of recent snow are the most likely spots to encounter these. As you gain elevation, expect slabs to thicken.

    Storm totals were spotty across the region. Slopes with areas of recently wind-drifted snow deeper than 6 inches will require careful consideration of the terrain below. It is unlikely to get fully buried by one of these, but being pushed into or over places you’d rather not go is a possibility. 

    Cracking underfoot is a clear sign you’ve found a reactive slab of recent wind-drifted snow. Avoid likely trigger points, such as bulging or convex areas on a slope. Terrain farther down the slope, sheltered from the wind or timbered, will offer the best opportunity to enjoy the recent snowfall.

    Thin slabs of recently wind-affected snow can be found in isolated areas below ridgelines or gully sidewalls. While largely inconsequential in size, they could run on a slick crust.

    Resulting avalanches could run further than you expect and push you into terrain you would rather not end up in.

    (1/9/2026) Photo: Adam Clark

Avalanche Discussion

A roller coaster of conditions and avalanche types continues. Yesterday’s (Thursday) hyped-up storm drizzled only a few inches of snow across most of the region. Areas such as Stryker Ridge, the sidecountry of Whitefish Mountain Resort, and the Jewel Basin received the most abundant snowfall, a scant 4-6 inches. Regardless of how much snow fell, it was deposited on a wide variety of crusts. 

Yesterday’s visit by FAC staff to the WMR sidecountry amazed us by how good the conditions were, after such a long spell of high and dry. A few inches of recent snow rest upon a mixed bag of crusts. These crusts ranged from supportable to non-supportable for a rider's weight. Depending on the slope angle and aspect, and whether the slope is shaded by trees, it was difficult to establish a pattern for supportable vs. thin crust. The pattern we did find, however, was weakness around the most recent crust. Faceted snow exists below and above, and areas where recent snow had accumulated were sensitive to a skier’s weight. Without cohesion holding the top 4 inches of snow together, there wasn’t much of a slab present. I would expect locations with more wind loading to be more sensitive. 

Moving forward, as the snow above the varying crusts builds in depth and forms into a stiffer slab, I will be stepping back from consequential terrain. Semi-supportable crusts that face south are slick and will likely move avalanches fast downslope and into terrain I’d prefer not to tangle with. 

In the immediate future, rising freezing levels could increase the cohesion of recent snow, leading to wet-snow problems. While relatively small, any loose, wet snow that begins moving downslope can entrain enough snow to push a rider around. And the surface it slides on will likely be slick enough to let them run far. 

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