Snowpack

East of WMR

Mark DundasWhitefish Range
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Quick report

I visited locations just east of WMR to see how the snowpack fared following several days of warm, wet weather.

  • There was a general lack of recent avalanche activity on steep south and north-facing slopes at mid-elevations. Smaller wet loose from earlier in the week with rollerballs from the past day or two was all I could identify in the flat light.  
  • Traveling through unconsolidated snow was challenging due to its being moist and punchy. 
  • This zone looks to have received heavy recreational use during last weekend's fresh snow.

Weather

Air Temp
40
Cloud Cover
overcast
Wind Loading
none
Rain Elevation
10,000
Recent Snowfall
0
Snow Avail For Transport
none

Intermittent light to moderate rain showers mid-day for a couple of hours.

Snowpack

  • The top 2-5 cm of the snow surface between 5700 and 6700 feet was wet from rain and warm temperatures. 2-3 feet of moist snow lie beneath the surface, which is unsupportable and punchy.
  • Meltwater is pooling on a series of crusts 40-60 cm below the surface on a north aspect at 5800'.