Storm slabs healing

Location Name: BNSF Avalanche Program-Running Rabbit Mtn. GNP Observation date: Friday, February 15, 2019 - 20:00	Is this an Avalanche Observation: No

Observation made by: Public

Tabs

Quick Observation

Toured up the SW ridge of Running Rabbit Mtn. Followed ridge to avalanche prone terrain above Shed 11 to the weather station and descended the same.
Objective was to assess the recent storm slab instability and get a snowpack profile or two in the Shed 11 area.
Broken skies with occasional S-1 snow flurries. But dry weather for most of the day.
Air temperatures climbed into the mid-20s 0F above 6000 feet and near freezing at the Canyon floor.
Winds mostly calm but occasion light breeze from the W-NW.
Feb 12/13 storm slab had settled to 12-16” thick and 4F hardness. About 2-3 inches of snow from last night on top of this.
Put in numerous ski cuts with no cracking or small slabs popping out on small test slopes.
No collapses or cracking at any other points during the tour.
Dug a pit at 6300 feet on a southerly aspect. Total snow depth was a little over 6 feet. The Feb 2/Groundhog crust was very thin at this location, but the widely distributed (in the Program Area) layer of facets beneath the crust was there (profile below).
Stability tests resulted in ECTN26 and CT22 Q2 at the bottom of the Feb 12/13th storm slab about 18” from the surface. No fractures on the Groundhog or Jan 17 crusts.
Dug a 2nd pit at 5500 feet also on a south aspect. Here the Groundhog Day crust was buried 12 inches down and almost 2 inches thick.
Found an almost 8 inch thick layer of well-developed facets lying beneath the Groundhog crust here, ECTP27 on this layer.
No recent avalanche activity observed.

Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images:

Travel Details

Region:

Flathead Range/Glacier National Park - John F. Stevens Canyon

Avalanche Details

Avalanche Details:

Date and Time of Avalanche:

Friday, February 15, 2019 - 20:00