Flathead

You can drive to 42.5 no problems, no further. Lots of wet loose on the headwall. North facing slopes riding deep pow Anywhere that got sun was wet and heavy. We triggered 2 wet loose avalanches on a NW slope, took one person for a ride. Crust was forming where sun hit in the morning and was shaded by the afternoon. Was a fun day! Snow quality likely to quickly deteriorate with the warm temps.

This morning, when we checked the weather, we noticed we didn’t get as strong of a freeze overnight, and temperatures were already climbing. Knowing this, we chose a trip plan closer to home to maximize our time outside before peak daytime warming. We decided to head to Morrissey and drove the Morrissey Creek FSR to about km 25, where the snow line started. The skies were clear, the sun was hot, and there was little to no wind to keep the snow surface cool. We traveled up to 2100 m on Morrissey Ridge, where it was +6°C at noon. Ski quality was great, with 190 cm of snow still on Morrissey Ridge. The top 2–5 cm of snow was soft and sitting on a supportive crust. We called it a day at 2 p.m. once the snow became isothermal and the crust stopped being supportive. Throughout the day, we had excellent visibility and did not observe any avalanche activity. The snowpack is currently going through a classic diurnal cycle, freezing overnight and melting during the day. This can provide stable conditions in the early morning, with a rising hazard trend throughout the day. GOing forward into the weekend, we may not get the same refreeze. Keep an eye on the avalanche forecast and local weather forecast to have the best plan for riding this weekend! P.S. It was nice to see several groups of snowmobilers out there. Winter's not done yet!

Corbin provided the corn harvest today! Access from the parking lot was still snow/ice covered with the exception of one small dirt patch. The morning was refrozen as we headed in around 10 AM, and required lots of chainsawing to keep the sleds cool. The snow surface softened up around noon and the ride out was soft and supportive! In the alpine, solar slopes began to soften slowly at noon, a light breeze kept the surface from becoming sticky, and we were able to enjoy a few hours of nice supportive corn skiing on a south aspect. By 2 PM west aspects were beginning to soften as well. The avalanche hazard in this region is currently related to warming. Rising air temperatures and solar input thru the day may cause surface instabilities, and weaken cornices. Be mindful of how much warming is happening on snow surface, and relate those observations to what’s above you. Remember that alpine features see solar input earlier in the day than lower elevation features. Now is a good time to explore in the Corbin region! With warmer temperatures in the next few days starting earlier and ending earlier could make for better ski quality, and a safer day! Bring your sunscreen and enjoy the harvest!

Today the South Rockies team took a chance on riding from Corbin staging and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of access! The recent snow made a big difference for the trail, there was a thin fresh coating of wet snow right from the parking lot! The old grooming held up to the rain reasonably well, only a few patches of thin coverage over dirt. As we climbed towards Rain gauge the snow quality improved steadily and we found 20 cm of dry new snow above 1800 m. Below the new snow there is a supportive crust which made for some slippery riding while getting into the throttle or descending slopes. We did not venture above treeline today. Strong to extreme westerly winds in the alpine made for uncomfortable and potentially dangerous conditions at higher elevations. We observed intense snow transport at ridge tops this morning. Exposed areas are scoured down to ice. Significant snow drifting and deposition is occurring on a variety of aspects in the treeline and alpine. We dug a profile in a sheltered area at 2100 m. Snowpack depth is 220 cm at our profile location. The upper snowpack contains many layers of crust and a variety of snow grain types but is not producing any concerning failures below the recent storm snow. We had easy resistant planar failures of the storm snow/crust interface at CTE 6. No propagating results with ECT. We did not see any evidence of large natural avalanches during the recent rain event. Overall better quality riding than we anticipated. Springtime conditions are beginning to shape up nicely, but the snowpack still needs more time to settle before we would consider stepping out to larger features.

Lodgepole FSR access to Harvey Pass affected by a blown out culvert at 29.5 km

The perfect day to cross 7 bridges into the Promise Land. Very low snow on the trail in, but generally skiable. Lots of snow once you climb upto the plateau. We found 5-25cm of fresh hero snow ontop of a 3cm crust and then another 60-80cm to the next crust. No signs of instability all day as we skied 4 different upper bowls. In the deepest and most west facing area we had easy planar hand sheer results 5cm down and then medium effort at 20cm down so we skied the best supported line we could. Small winds slab crowns on extreme and rocky west facing areas there. Other areas with more South and/or north aspects had zero to hard hand sheer results. Strong winds at times blowing some snow off the summit ridge. Definitely worth the long and bony approach today.

Today the South Rockies team went for a braap in the Rolling Hills area. We intended on accessing from the Coal Creek trailhead however we were uncertain about driving higher up than the staging kiosk, and there was a lack of snow to ride right from valley bottom. We pivoted and accessed via the Morrissey upper staging, and signage was very clear on where to drive and park! There was about 5 minutes of low snow riding on the road before we hit good trail conditions the rest of the way! Our aim today was to assess surface snow conditions after last nights storm, and test the Persistent Slab problem in our snow pit again after some additional loading. Above 1500m there was 20-30 cm of new snow that had been redistributed by wind forming large cornices and drifts. We found the best riding in sheltered low angle lee slopes where the wind had stacked up a little extra snow! Windward aspects near ridgetops and open areas were largely stripped back to a firm crust. We were able to get storm slab results on small loaded test slopes with crown depths of 20-80 cm, and we observed a recent natural avalanche from a steep north facing lee slope at 2000m. This slope is a common performer near the Rolling Hills Cabin, see image. Below the recent snow there is a widespread 5-15cm crust on all aspects below 2000m. Our snowmobiles were not able to penetrate this crust. In our snow pit, we had moderate propagating results (ECTP 12), storm snow failing on crust/graupel down 25cm. We had no results (ECTX) on the Persistent Slab problem, however we were still able to identify preserved surface hoar buried 90 cm deep. In places where the crust is less supportive, human triggering of the Persistent Slab problem is still a concern. Overall a nice day out with some decent riding, and there is still plenty of fresh left in sheltered areas to enjoy some fun, supportive tree riding! We avoided steep wind loaded slopes, gave cornices a wide berth, and had a great day out in the hills!

Up to 20cm new storm snow is starting to propagate small, soft, storm slabs in steeper terrain. Sliding on the march 9th rain crust. Snowing heavily, up to 3cm/hr, all afternoon with no wind

5-8cm’s dust on crust on a north aspect between 1700m and 2000m. Saturday/Sunday’s rain to ridgetop really helped consolidate the snowpack. As of Tuesday afternoon there had been minimal wind accompanying the new snow so there was no slab. Ski quality is alright, minimal sluffing even in steep terrain. No signs of instability observed out there on Monday or Tuesday.

A fine sunny day for a toodle in the flathead region. We were able to drive to KM 46.5 on the McClatchie FSR, there is active logging in the area so make sure you have your radio and call your KM if you head up that way. We headed towards Next of Kin to investigate the sensitivity of the Persistent Slab problem that has been ongoing in this region. We found 30-65 cm of snow on the weak layer, and had multiple audible whumpfs while travelling on foot through mellow sheltered terrain between 1800-2000m. Rutschblock tests on North and south aspects produced easy repeatable results RB 1 and RB 2 whole block failures. The persistent weak layer in this area is 10 cm thick and consists of 15-20 mm surface hoar and facets over a supportive crust. This layer is not showing any signs of healing, and is widespread in the tree-line. While natural avalanche activity is tapering off in the flathead, human triggered avalanches are still likely. Below treeline is still very thin coverage, and warm temperatures have made the snowpack become isothermal. Alpine features have been largely affected by continued moderate winds. Loaded areas are suspect to have a wind slab problem, and wind stripped areas are a mix of ice, sastrugi, and rock. Unfortunately the reality is that where good ski quality exists, a reactive persistent slab problem is a dominating concern. This sent us home early with our skins still on, and with no travel in avalanche terrain today.

Remote triggered a size one slab avalanche on a 35 degree North facing slope . 120 cm deep, approx 10 meters wide, ran 30 meters. No rider involvement

Strong winds drifting snow down slope. Cornices, 200m shooting crack, whumpfing.

Witnessed many recent avalanches from steep alpine slopes from before Mondays snow. One small slope slid from above us, and it is possible we triggered the very recent avalanche in the photos from well back in the trees. This one stood out due to the destructive force. It took out small trees, and blew branches well into mature timber. It released on a steep east facing slope, and pulled out the slope below it. It was strong reinforcement that we need to stay well back from steep slopes for a while.

Riding around the lake area in the trees, Set off several remote avalanches. Day was stormy & very windy. Raining in the staging area and pellet/sleet type snow as you gained elevation. Heard lots of whumpfing in the alpine/sub alpine. Noticed shooting cracks along the trails on the steeper banks Unable to get pictures due to strong winds & wet heavy snowfall causing limited visibility

Riding all weekend was amazing, made sure to be conservative with our terrain choices and adapt to terrain as we came upon it. Lots of reactive slopes and drainages still, evidence of smaller size avalanches along trail banks. Had a 2.5 avalanche remote trigger while we were travelling alone the treeline opposite to the ridge. More snow in the forecast so definitely remain conservative with terrain choice

Elv 1620-2200m Aspect ne Alpine to below treeline. Temp -9 warming to -3 Winds nil, no evidence of recent wind Sunny some cloud. Surface snow low-medium density treeline and below. Numerous settlements and shooting cracks especially near convexities. Several class 1 and 2s, one class 1 occurred sympathetically when I parked my sled in the gravel pit. Several class 2s below treeline on steep open and treed (burned) areas . Slide surface was old crust at 40-60 cm depth; Slide widths 40 -80 m wide. Most ran out to bench immediately below but no further. Most of alpine had slide previously. No evidence of recent cornice failures. ECTP12-sudden planar collapse on crust with some surface hoar. elv 1900 m. Several easy hand shears on route up skin trail. Route finding was key to being safe, placed skin trail on low angle terrain and/ or dense trees and avoided steep slopes and steep slopes above. Skied only low to moderate angle terrain (<27 deg) .Epic and entertaining day.

Amazing day riding with friends. Several natural avalanches observed 20-50 cm crowns on convex rolls and steeper wind loaded terrain. Also had a remote trigger on a slope from riding along the ridge top. Saw a few larger slides in the alpine but most avalanches were at tree line in sheltered areas. Frequent settlements when regrouping. Very touchy so stuck to low angle terrain.

Dropped down the main entrance to the riding area on the South East side of the pipeline with four snowmobiles. Riders proceeded one at a time...when the third rider was halfway down a remote slide was triggered approximately 75 meters to the north. This was an East facing slope and the failure was on crystalline snow approximate 70 Cm deep. The slide was approximately two hundred meters wide an ran for approximately 100 meters.

Great afternoon out on Leach Ridge in cold dry fast pow (foot penetration 35cm, ski pen 25cm). No new avalanches observed, but almost continual loud and scarey whumphing on the way up on skis. Very happy to have been in low low angle terrain. Mostly clear sky and great sunshine, with a cold light south breeze keeping the surface dry. High of -8 at ridgetop at 2200m Dug one hasty pit at the top. HS (snow depth to ground) 180cm. Easy sudden planar test results on a significant weak layer of SH (surface hoar) down 38cm under the recent storm snow. Late-January persistant weak layer down 80cm in this spot (no test result on that in this precise spot). SH and near-surface faceting developing on the surface making for great fast skiing, but another future weak layer when covered.

Observed some evidence of slides that likely happened within the last few days. Stayed away from steep slopes and played on stuff 20 degrees and lower.

Over the bars road riding. Remote triggering and activity all day. Stayed in the flats.

Today we went into Leach Creek via Corbin. The day was cold, starting at -20, and warming to -16. We observed moderate snow transport in the morning, and light transport in the afternoon. The riding was good, but the new snow is hiding stumps. We observed natural avalanches to Sz 1.5 from the last 24-48 hours, and a remotely triggered avalanche to size 3.0 that sympathetically pulled a size 2.0 on an adjacent aspect. These were likely from yesterday. There is 50-80 cm of new snow sitting on a weak layer.

Savagely cold and windy day with moderate to strong winds out of the north all day. Reverse loading most areas and even stripping all the storm snow off in some spots down to the crust. Still some whumpfing and settling in the trees but nowhere near as much as yesterday. Remote triggered a small pocket then jumped on the hangfire to produce results pictured. Slab was 35cm deep max, time and wind have settled storm snow amounts compared to yesterday’s 60cm slabs. Ski quality still great, just affected by heavy tree bombs that fell overnight in the wind

North facing slope 30+cm fresh storm snow on hard/old layer. Traveling along a logging road across a treed slope, the embankment of the road and and 2m above the bank was remote triggered 2-3m ahead of the snowmobile and carried along the enbankment for 100m.

CTE1 down 35 SP, CTE2 down 35 SP, ECTP15 down 35. All failures on crust.

Skied mellow slopes and avoided avy terrain. Could definitely feel the hard crust under the fresh powder when skiing down. Some whumpfing in isolated spots 25 degrees or steeper, but no shooting cracks.

Today the field team returned again to the Lodgepole road! Our smoothest trip of the season so far in this area. The road was drivable to 39km where there is plowed in mounds of snow blocking further travel for the truck. It seems there is still active logging and industrial work going on so make sure you use your radio and park your vehicle out of turnaround zones. It was a fine day with high cloud and light SW winds. Temperatures rose to -1 at 2100m. We ski toured up a low angle south facing treed slope to the ridgeline, and dug on an East aspect to investigate the current persistent weak layer (PWL). On our way up we noticed whumphing on all aspects above 1900 m. Solar aspects above 1900 m hold 10 cm of snow over the PWL, and polar aspects hold up to 25 cm of snow over the PWL. Within the 10 cm on solar aspects a 3 cm sun crust exists and is supportive to skis. This crust does not exist on polar aspects. We had propagating failures on the PWL in our test pit, ECTP11 and PST 20/100 SF. The buried surface hoar that makes up the PWL is easily identifiable and up to 30 mm in size. Traveling on the ridgeline away from our profile location we had significant whumphing, shooting cracks extending 50 m from our skis, and remotely triggered a size 1 avalanche on a NE aspect. We skied down a SW aspect and experienced no other signs of avalanches. We observed no new natural avalanches. We will continue to be wary of shady aspects in the treeline and alpine as this PWL remains ripe for human triggering. Extra caution is warranted to avoid overhead hazard and connected terrain as remote triggering is still a possibility.

Dropped into a SW aspect around 2100m just after 2pm hoping to ski corn. Aborted mission pretty quickly due to ski quality and potential for isothermal avalanches. Large roller balls. Coulda got there quicker but got distracted by some fun, soft snow sledding in the meadows on the way up. Checked out a polar aspect around 1650m on the way up and found a zipper crust so decided to ski in the sun instead

We went for a toodle around Barnes and Elliot lake today! We had the intention of once again observing surface conditions to see how the facets, surface hoar, and crust are doing during this extended high pressure. The day was a mix of sun and some cloud forming over ridgetops and peaks. Winds were calm, and the temperature rose to -3 at 1900m. Travel conditions were good from the Corbin staging due to the FSA's exceptional grooming! Firm and crusty travel exists off the grooming. The crust is breaking down to 1 finger resistance and is unsupportive in most areas. There is about 5 cm of new snow that has been redistributed by the wind and sits over 4-8 mm surface hoar. Where deposits of new snow reach 15 cm it is beginning to form a wind slab which is producing very easy planar failures on shovel shear and column tests. More evidence that any new snow on our current surface has the potential to produce avalanches, but for now challenging crusty travel remains the main hazard.

Followed the advice from our friendly local south Rockies field team and headed straight to sheltered high elevation polar aspects, near sparwood, to find soft snow and good turns. The crust is faceting out nicely with 2cm of surface hoar and 1cm of new stellars on top. Things are probably going to be quite zesty once we get some new snow on this layer! Probed between 160cm and 185cm HS around 1900/2000m. Mainly calm with a light breeze coming from the north towards the end of the day. Sad to learn that chickalicious is now closed when we went there for aprés

Today we ventured towards the Flathead in hopes of getting up high and finding some decent snow in sheltered areas. Our goal was to get up towards the MacLatchie but we were turned around just after the Ram creek junction due to icy driving/sledding conditions. Plan B was to go up from Morrissey staging to the Notch using the maintained Fernie Snowmobile Association trail network. The conditions right now are great for a trail ride, firm and smooth grooming, but challenging to keep a mountain sled cool at lower elevations. Up at 2000m near the Notch, we found 300cm total height of snow! Surface conditions are firm, sled penetration of a measly 3 cm. The crust is 5-10 cm thick, and covers 5-10 cm of fist resistance near surface facets. There is surface hoar up to 10 mm formed above the crust, and 2 cm of new stellars sparkling away in the sunshine! Temperatures hovered around -8 in the treeline, and winds were calm. Ridgetop wind was light from the west. While our ridge of high pressure persists with cold temps we expect to see minimal change in this area. The extent of faceting in the upper snowpack will increase, and we may see the crust begin to break down which could improve the riding quality. We are crossing our fingers and hoping to see some snow in the forecast!

Avalanche triggered due to cornice failure. Happened before we arrived at the location.

Today we returned to Coal Creek. Partly because snowmobiling conditions are awesome, but mainly because we wanted to further investigate the potential distribution of surface hoar in the area. We dug several test profiles in our upper snowpack throughout the day. We examined a range of aspects between 1800 and 2000 m elevation. We found that as our elevation increased, the size and reactivity of the preserved surface hoar increased. However, we also noted that it primarily exists in areas sheltered from the wind, making the problem spotty and hard to predict. Going forward, as temperatures warm, we will continue to monitor the distribution and strength of this layer. Throughout the day, we observed no new avalanches. The skies were overcast, with a moderate southerly wind. We observed light snow transport on exposed and ridgeline features. On our ride back to the parking lot, it was lightly snowing, less than 1 cm per hour. Thanks FSA for all the great work on the trails! We'll see you on January 17th for Avalanche Awareness Day at Rolling Hills Cabin!

Today, we headed up Coal Creek to the Martin Ridge area. The travel from the staging area has improved a lot with only a few small, easy to manage water crossings. The snow up in the riding area was deep, light, and very fun! While in the field, we did not observe any new avalanches. We tested a small cornice on the road and found it was reactive to human triggering. The height of snow on Martin Ridge was 180 cm, on a lee slope we found 60 cm of new snow, while on a windward slope we found 30 cm of new snow. Below this is a thin melt freeze crust from Saturday's warming. Below this crust, the snowpack is generally well-bonded and strong, with several more melt-freeze crusts spread throughout- the most prominent being the November crust on ground. While we were out, there was light to moderate wind at the ridge, enough for light snow transport. The sun briefly made an appearance, but most of the day was overcast. As we returned to the truck, it began snowing lightly. Overall a great day out! Thank you Fernie Snowmobile Association for all of the great work out there!

Probbed 144cm, 20cm of fluff until the first crust. There was a good layer of hoar frost. Overall it was a great first day of 2026!

Quick pit to see snowpack. Confirmed Av can field team reports. 80 cms soft snow on top of several crusts which have totally solidified the bottom 95 cms to the ground. No layers in storm snow, but quickly becomes more dense. Note the rapid density increase, fist to 4 finger to 1 finger hardness in storm snow in the photo.

Our first venture up from coal creek staging today!! The Fernie Snowmobile Association has done an exceptional job clearing downed trees and putting in the best grooming they can for the current conditions down low. Snow coverage is still low below 1500m, creeks are still open, but the access into your favourite zones is open! The day started out pleasant, mild temps at treeline, and even a bit of sunshine! Large cornices exist at ridge tops, and we avoided wind loaded areas in the treeline and alpine. Snow started falling around 2pm and we became very soggy very fast and headed back to the truck! We found an average snow depth of 140 cm. 60 cm of well settled snow sits above a firm crust extending all the way to ground. The snow is bonded very well to the crust in this area. We had resistant failures on hand shears within the top 60 cm, no propagating results. Overall we were impressed with the riding conditions above 1500m! Enjoy the holiday playtime, and be sure to submit your own MIN report if you are out recreating during the holidays!

The South Rockies Arborist Team spent the morning assessing the access up Lodgepole FSR. Our goal for the day was to make it into the Flathead to get an idea of how the wind has affected the new storm snow. At ridge top (2100 m) the wind was moderate and we could see cornices and wind slab actively building around the area. We observed 2 natural cornice failures, triggering small pockets of wind slab. These likely happened overnight. Throughout the day the temperature stayed below 0 and the skies were broken. The snowpack was 190 cm deep, we found 55 cm of new snow (which has been redistributed by wind in the Alpine), and below, the rain-soaked snowpack has cooled down and made a very thick bridging crust. Thanks to everyone who has worked hard to clear the Lodgepole so far, all of the saw work hasn’t gone unnoticed! We have gotten word that some machinery might be working in there over the next few days. If you see them, be courteous and give them space to work and clear all of the downfall.

Quick afternoon visit to upper Barnes, great riding, knee deep in trees Partner felt couple settlements at ridge tops I didn’t, no slabs releasing in steep trees Didn’t dig any pits

Well, heck, …. Low, Low, Low was a nice avalanche forecast to read eh? There was however the main headline reminder to consider: “Low Danger Doesn’t Mean No Danger” …….. so, reading a little deeper, we saw the important phrase-for-the-day “Watch for isolated pockets of wind slab lingering in the alpine”. So, we made a plan based on: = wind slab hazard in the alpine = sun crust on South-facing stuff = warm schloopyness and crusts down low = a communicative, compatible, similar-level group = no pressure ! …. and headed out to find shaded terrain below the Alpine, but as high as we could make it. Success (see pics :-)! It was -3 at our high point on the ridge at 2200 m, where we could feel a light-to-moderate wind blowing from the South West, but it didn’t seem to be moving much snow. We saw no natural avalanches, nor signs of instability as we skied steeper shaded terrain to the North East. Snowpack depth at 2200 m was 220 cm, with at least 20 cm of soft snow over that supportive crust from the super-warm period a week ago (the “March 21st crust”).

With the Hazard rating at “Considerable”, we went out with a plan to: = stay in mellow terrain (slope angle lower than 30 degrees) = keep out from underneath big steep slopes that we might remotely trigger (“avoid overhead hazard”) = and to watch for cornices …. which are really big and overhanging right now It stayed mostly cloudy all day, with a few moments of sunshine, but the snowpack didn’t really get ‘heat-tested’ like we anticipate as we move into the weekend. No Natural Avalanches seen, nor any of those other ‘signs of instability’ (cracking, whumphing, hollow sounds); no reactivity to our sledding; no test results in our (one) snow pit. There was about 40 cm of soft snow in sheltered areas, the HS (full depth of snow) was decent at 250 cm at 2100 m, and that Feb 3rd layer was around 100 cm down.

Snow was getting heavier through the day as it warmed up. It sounded windy in the alpine but not much blowing snow. No obvious signs of instability, but didn't trust the warming and persistent weak layer combo so kept it pretty mellow.

Considering all the elements of the forecast, as well as the Special Avalanche Warning (SPAW), we chose a conservative trip plan today, and had an awesome day ! We thrashed ALL the snow in a rolling clearcut, and then took a short ski tour up some low angle terrain to a spectacular ridge …… from there, with the fantastically clear day, we could see loads of terrain …… …… several natural avalanches to Size 3 in East-to-North West paths, one of which appeared to have been triggered by a cornice fall. Digging into the snow on a North aspect, we found the February 3rd layer 75 cm down, which failed in a snowpack test. Main take-home is: the SPAW is lifted, but read the forecast carefully ….. keep yerselves safe out there

Stuck to <25 degree slopes in the donut area behind the mic towers. Good riding in sheltered areas, ridge features in the middle of the cutblock were wind affected (firm, scoured). No signs of instability, or recent avalanches in the areas the surrounding the cutblock (where it gets steeper).

ok, ok, it wasn’t thaaaaat deep, but we were waaaay South …… Mindful of the SPAW (Special Avalanche Warning) that’s in place until the 4th; the recent snow loading; wind loading; and natural (+human triggered) avalanches that we’ve been seeing; we headed out into some rolling clearcuts and low low angle slopes to evaluate conditions. While we did see significant wind affect, wind loading of lee slopes, and cornice building, we saw no Natural Avalanches, nor did we have results in a test pit we dug at Treeline. In sheltered areas away from previous sun affect, we were able to ski and sled in good boot-top powder.

In the Harvey area today we found a bit more shallow of a snowpack with a total of 150 cm of snow at 2250 m. The top 30 cm was a mix of wind affected at the ridge crest and open terrain and soft snow in sheltered areas. There was no whumpfing or cracking, even along the open ridge where wind slabs are building in direct lees. We had no test results in our profile and we didn't see any natural avalanche activity. We skied a sheltered line where we found some soft snow on a supportive crust. It was cool (-14) and windy so the big puffy cocoon was on for the sled ride in and out!