Quick report
We toured in the Essex area and (as other observers noted) experienced a very calm storm day in the Flathead Range. •New snow totals above 7000' were nearing the 2' mark and right-side-up (storm started warm and finished cold) •Plenty of snow is available for transport when the winds tick up •I was able to trigger a slow moving, loose dry sluff in steep terrain (38*+) after noticing some loose dry naturals (especially in N & E terrain). The slide stayed the width of my ski and managed to run top-to-bottom (~1000') Certainly a "manageable" problem if one stepped out in this case, but enough snow was entrained to knock an unassuming rider off their feet •We opted for lower angle powder runs and experienced deep, billowing turns on a SE aspect •Below 4500' plenty of hazards have been hidden by the recent snow and requires heads up skiing off trail Decent views of steep, alpine terrain (N & E) revealed natural, point release loose/dry sluffing on the upper 6"
Weather
- Air Temp
- Below Freezing
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- none
- Recent Snowfall
- ~50-60cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Snow showers were constant throughout the day and winds were dead calm at our high point of 7200'
Avalanche
- Size
- D1 R1
- Type
- L
- Aspect
- NE
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 7000 ft