Quick report
Spent the day touring around the Nyack/Penrose massif in search of persistent slab structure (settlement), recent wind/solar effect, and dry loose avalanches. •Yesterdays solar had little effect, save for the widespread dry loose problem, on terrain we travelled ( to 6500'-primarily N/W with views onto S aspects). •Winds were non-existent throughout and preserved surface stellars capped a right-side-up, settled snowpack atop the late January crust/facet interface buried ~2ft deep. (F-4F-1F) (photo) •Numerous dry loose avalanches were observed in steep terrain (likely from yesterdays solar input). One dry, loose entrained a healthy amount of snow and ran onto planar slopes which yielded no slab avalanche release despite being a D2 and testing the upper snowpack. (photo) •We had no results in an extended column test on an E aspect @ 6000'. A few handpits on Northerlies yielded an unconsolidated and less settled upper snowpack. •Observed another party "stepping out" onto steep (40*), exposed avalanche terrain (N) with minor sluffing occurring. •Overall, a great day in the Flathead Range. Public lands at their finest. Conditions may change quickly with rising freezing levels in the forecast this weekend as an atmospheric river approaches. Besides observing dry, loose avalanches (D1-D2) on steep terrain (40*+) at all elevation bands and aspects, there was not a slab in sight.
Weather
- Air Temp
- Below freezing (10-20*)
- Cloud Cover
- scattered
- Wind Loading
- none
- Snow Avail For Transport
- large amounts
Calm conditions with bouts of filtered sunshine prevailed under a stratus deck around 9000' which eroded during the early evening hours and gave way to stratocumulus from the approaching disturbance.