Avalanche
View on mapFlattop Mountain
Mark Dundas
Quick report
We visited the Marias Pass area to examine the damage caused by the recent blustery winds and monitor today's wet loose problem.
- Winds have transported substantial recent snow and left behind giant dunes, enormous cornices, and extensive scoured areas. This area has the best bang for your buck wind formations in the Flathead.
- Wet loose activity increased as the day heated up.
- Despite the extensive wind, we only noticed one recent wind slab avalanche.
- The coverage remains good despite the wind and the lack of snowfall this area received this season.
We noted multiple wet loose slides originating on upper and mid-elevation southerly slopes on Little Dog and Summit Mountain. We also spotted one recent soft slab avalanche in a wind-loaded location that may have been triggered by wet loose debris. Two older hard slab avalanches were in the general area at upper elevations.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 25
- Cloud Cover
- scattered
- Wind Loading
- light
- Rain Elevation
- 3000
- Recent Snowfall
- 8
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Periods of clearing that allowed for intense solar input. Moderate winds on the ridgetop kept locations exposed to the wind quite cool.
Snowpack
This morning, most locations had 10-15 cm of dry, loose surface snow. By our afternoon exit, most areas had transitioned to moist snow. The exception was dense north-facing trees and areas kept cool by moderate winds.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2.5 R2
- Type
- HS
- Count
- 5
- Aspect
- SE
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 7000 ft
We saw this crown from a long distance and assume this ran during the mid-March heat wave. We could not see the debris and the vertical fall and terminus are estimated.