Lakeview Tripple

Quick report

Cracking

isolated

Traveled into the Selkirks to make snowpack assessments on multiple aspects, and to try to verify conditions leading to the Avalanche Watch that we issued this morning.

Conditions were quieter than expected, with only minimal cracking observed and somewhat stubborn test results. My final pit of the day however highlighted our current concerns well, and confirmed that we have all of the ingredients on the table to provoke some slopes into avalanching.

Read the details in this report and watch the video to see what we found out there.

Minor cracking observed in wind drifted snow on the ridgeline. Did not observe any cracks that extended further than about 3-4 feet.

Weather

Air Temp

Cloud Cover

overcast

Wind Loading

moderate

Rain Elevation

4200-4500

Recent Snowfall

Snow Avail For Transport

moderate amounts

Stormy day at Schweitzer. Snow line was 4200 feet in the morning on the drive up and gradual rose to about 4600 by closing bell. About 3 inches of new very dense snow accumulated in the village during the day and estimated twice as much near ridgetop. Winds were steady all day, blowing moderate our of the West although the density of the new snow was somewhat resistant to transport. Additionally, there is a buried rime crust that existed about 3-6 inches beneath the surface, which inhibited snow transport beneath it once windward slopes were stripped to that layer.

Snowpack

Traveled around the compass today near the Lakeview Tripple. Collected snowpack data from three sites on different aspects, each with a unique story to tell.

Site 1: Northwest 6300 feet

HS-88cm
HST- 18cm
58cm slab above 11/23 hard crust
Weak layers present, but we got non-propagating test results.

Site 2: South 6300 feet

HS- 57cm
HST- Approximately 10cm, but this was a recently wind scoured location
Weak layers present, but we got non-propagating test results.
11/23 crust thin (9cm) and only present across half of the pit wall. 48cm thick slab above the crust.
11/23 crust distribution spotty while pole probing nearby south facing terrain and digging hand pits to look for it. Possibly not very connective on south facing slopes below 6500 in this zone.

Site 3: East 6200 feet

HS- 144cm (targeted recently wild loaded location)
HST- 26cm
103cm slab above the 11/23 crust
Propagating results on the 12/4 storm interface (26cm thick slab) and the 12/1 persistent weak layer (69cm thick slab)
Clean propagation occured simultaneously during the test on both layers at hard force (ECTP25).