Lolo Pass

It was clear from our short tour today that the snowpack is unstable. Dense slabs have built on top of weak layers near the ground. Tell tale red flags were widespread booming collapses and recent avalanches. Variable wind carried snow onto many aspects and in middle to upper elevations.

We felt a large collapse around us while we were digging a pit on a northeast aspect around 5600'. We felt another large collapse up on the ridgeline around 6200'. Off the skin track, it was easy to trigger small collapses and cracks as you walked.

Low-elevation slopes have some snow on them now, but it is still too little to ski or ride safely.

At middle elevations on east facing slopes, we found wind drifted snow formed into slabs up to 2.5 ft (80cm) deep. These new slabs sit on weak, faceted snow and melt freeze crusts that are well faceted as well. In more wind-sheltered areas, there was about 1 ft of new snow. Snow depths ranged from 2-4 ft with shallower depths on SE aspects. Wind-affected snow was cold and dense. Wind direction varied from west to east, so wind affected snow was found in many areas.

While skinning up, we felt many small collapses (whumpfs) just off the skin track. While we were digging out our snowpit on a northeast aspect, we heard and felt a large booming collapse around us. We performed various snowpit tests but the collapse likely compromised the results of these tests. We performed two extended column tests with no results in the first and a moderate non-propogating result in the second (ECTX and ECTN12). We performed a compression test and got a hard sudden collapse (CT21(SC)) that failed on a small layer of facets just above a crust. In another pit dug on a southeast aspect, we performed an extended column test and got a moderate non-propogating result (ECTN11). While standing up on the ridgeline, we experienced another large collapse.