Northern Whitefish Range

Today we checked on access and rode sleds in the northern Whitefish Range.

• Rain, snow, clouds, and sun made for a day of mixed riding conditions.
• The rain transitioned to snow around 5000 feet.
• New snow ranged from 4 to 6 inches. It was moist on all aspects.  
• Evidence of older wind drifts proved stubborn to even the weight of a snowmobile.
• Sled access at low elevations has proven to be increasingly more challenging with little, to no-snow coverage.
• Above 5000 feet, riding on a moist-to-wet, but still supportable snowpack gave us a chance to work on our skills.
• Overall, instability was limited to trees shedding snow, rollerballs at upper elevations, and an increase in boot/sled penetrations, as the day progressed.

Rollerballs and trees shedding snow were the extent of the instability.

A snow profile and hand pits at our high point of 7100 feet, southeast aspect

•  4 inches of new snow. It was moist.
• Below the new snow, the snowpack consisted of wet facets. 
• First snow profile to document an isothermic snowpack.
• Evidence of melt-freeze crusts was challenging- slight changes in density within the snowpack were the only remaining clues of these crusts.