Southern Flathead Range

Another nice day of skiing in the Middle Fork.

•NE winds were at it again in the valley this morning, but conditions were calm in the Middle Fork all day. 

•Winds were dead calm at our high point (~7500') at 3pm prior to our descent.

• A trace amount of snow fell during the day. New snowfall since January 31 has amounted to about 55-65cm above 6500'.

• On sheltered northerlies, we observed an upper snowpack that has remained unconsolidated due to the cold temps. That and the absence of sun and wind effects.

• No whumpfing or other red flags during our ascent. One short crack noted during our descent from ridge top.

• We utilized the FNBP Snow Scope Probe to glean some structural information as we climbed. (Several hardness profiles attached. *Full HS not observed in most of these profiles.)

• Skies were mostly cloudy for most of the day, but slowly started offering excellent views right as we began our descent.

• We were able to scan some nearby avalanche terrain and could not locate any recent crowns or debris. Some of the larger steep faces on the Flathead Crest were remarkably clean looking.

• Today was by far the most brutal trail breaking I've encountered all season. Especially at lower and middle elevations where the recent snow is resting on top of a thick layer of unsupportable facets. For the same reasons, the tree well hazard is a serious problem right now and should not be underestimated. Keep track of your people, especially when party skiing through low angle glades.

•We were kind of surprised by the lack of red flags and recent slides today.

One short crack noted while descending an upper elevation northwest facing slope. I pulled over to take a look back and the crack as I thought a small pocket may have released. The crack looked to be only about 5 feet long and did not release a pocket. The slope was approaching 35 degrees, but perhaps not steep enough for anything to shift. Otherwise we observed no signs of instability