Windy Where It's Windy, Not Where It's Not

We went to the Middle Fork to see how the east wind event would play out in the Flathead Range.

• Winds were less than forecasted where we traveled. We saw light southeast winds with moderate gusts and light blowing snow. Because of local channeling, and limited wind transport, it was hard to discern the loading patern. The most wind transport we saw was on a southwest aspect at middle elevations where we found about an inch of denser drifted snow at the surface. We got occasional, localized cracking in the freshly wind packed snow.
• We went to areas that are typically hammered by wind from multiple directions. We ski cut wind slabs and stomped on cornices on several aspects at middle and upper elevations, but all were unreactive. We did a few snowpack tests in recent wind slabs and did have sudden small column test results, but no propagation in large a large column test.
• At middle and upper elevations we found between 1 and 8 inches of soft, wind affected snow sitting on top of 4 to 8 inches of loose graupel. Below that, settled, denser graupel and snow from last weekend sit on the sun crust that was originally buried on 3/7. Below about 5,000' there's only about 1-3 inches of graupel on top of the "graupel slab" on the crust.
• On the current windward aspects (east, north, and northeast) we found up to 12 inches of soft (fist to 4 finger hard) loose and wind affected snow available for transport at middle and upper elevations. If the northeast winds continue to increase, they will have that, plus what new snow falls to play with. On the current leeward aspects (south and southwest) the surface consists of a very thin wind skin on soft, loose snow and graupel - no crusts from the recent sun.
• Without much blowing snow creating instability, we were comfortable skiing really steep wind-sheltered terrain. We had to manage the top 4 inches of loose snow sluffing down fast on the steepest slopes, but they did not entrain enough snow to really knock you off your feet.
• On the drive back conditions quickly changed west of West Glacier. We saw strong winds blowing snow across the highway corridor.