Stryker Basin

We rode into the western Whitefish Range to assess conditions since the April 1 storm, and before this weekend's forecast storm.

• We saw the crown of one very large natural avalanche that looks to be two weeks or so old. See avalanche events. 
• Dust-on-crust conditions, with the dust being 1 to 4 inches of recent snow and the crust supportable at all elevations. 
• The recent snow was moist at mid and upper elevations by early afternoon. We saw a few rollerballs, but nothing coalseced into loose wet avalanches. There just isn't that much recent snow.
• The riding was suprisingly good above 5000 feet. Just enough snow to edge, while the thin crust below was reliably supportable.
• We parked 6 miles up the road from Olney. Snow cover on the road was patchy from there to the Stryker Ridge junction, with some tire ruts. Beyond the junction, the Upper WF road is still snow covered, though there are potholes to the dirt and icy patches. The groomed trail up Stryker Ridge is in great shape, despite having been groomed for the last time on 3/28. Whole lotta whoops on the road in/ out of Styker Basin.

• 2-10 cm of recent snow over a melt-freeze crust. This crust varies in thickness and hardness. The recent snow was moist by early afternoon. 
• On a northeast-facing slope at 6500 feet, we found ~ 10 cm of dry snow over a  1 cm thick, 4 Finger hard melt-freeze crust buried 4/7 or 4/8.
• Below was ~ 30 cm of dry snow from the April 1 storm, which was sitting on a substantial melt-freeze crust that formed late March.
• Minimal signs of wind effects on the surface snow - a few spots where winds had scoured the new snow away, a few patches where winds had drifted a few inches of extra snow.