Quick report
- Collapsing
- isolated
We went to Southern Glacier National Park to check on the shallow snowpack.
- We verified that this part of our forecast region has a weak snow structure (maybe the weakest).
- We had repeated propagating results in large column tests at mid and upper elevations.
- We noted a skier-triggered hard slab avalanche on an east aspect at mid-elevation, estimated to be a week old.
- We dodged large fields of frozen roller balls, likely from the most recent warm-up of last week.
- The upper half of our ski descent was nice, carvable turns. Below 5800 feet, the shallow snowpack made our exit sporty with a jungle of alder, lodgepole, and exposed downfall.
Weather
- Air Temp
- 36 to 30
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- none
- Rain Elevation
- 4000
- Recent Snowfall
- 3 to 8 cm
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
Drove to the trailhead with intermittent rain, which stopped about 930am. Most of the days was overcast, with only occasional light winds.
Snowpack
Snowpit 1: 5700 feet, E aspect, HS: 60cm
- 3 cm of new snow, 12/22 crust down 25 cm, and 5 cm of facets above the 12/22 crust.
- ECTP12 Failed on facets above the 12/22 crust.
Snowpit 2: 6400 feet, SE aspect, HS: 80 cm
- ECTP13. Failed in facets above the interface of recent snow and the early January/late December snow.
Snowpit 3: 6800 feet, NE aspect, HS: 85cm
- 8cm of new dry snow at the surface
- ECTP13. Failed on facets above a crust (unknown date) at 40 cm. Could this be the 12/22 crust(?) We weren't sure.
- Faceted snow below this crust to the ground = junk in the trunk.
Avalanche
- Size
- D1.5 R3
- Type
- HS
- Aspect
- E
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 5600 ft
It appears to have been triggered by a skier or snowboarder in the past week.