Cover all exposed flesh

Location Name: 
BNSF Avalanche Safety - Running Rabbit Mtn GNP
Observation date: 
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 - 17:45
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
No
Observation made by: Public

Location

Tabs

Quick Observation
  • Ascended the ridge to the west of the Shed 11 avalanche path to the weather station at 6400’ elevation. Descended the same route.
  • Objectives were to observe recent snowfall totals and the extent of recent wind-loading, look for any avalanche activity, and assess snowpack structure and stability in this area.
  • No avalanche activity observed, but visibility was very limited all day.
  • Overnight snow totals ranged from 2-3” on the Canyon floor, another 1-2” of snow fell throughout the day.
  • The advertised arctic air arrived by mid-morning. Winds clocked to the E-NE and were blowing at moderate intensities and actively loading westerly aspects at all elevations. These fresh wind slabs were ~10-15” thick by mid-afternoon.
  • In areas sheltered from the wind, the new snow is not cohesive enough to form a slab yet and here we found no signs of instability.
  • Ski cuts in the new wind slabs on westerly aspects resulted in some shooting cracks (3-5’ long) and some very small slab releases. Ski cuts on easterly aspects (older wind slabs) were mostly unreactive to ski cuts with only slight cracking, 1-2’ long.
  • Dug a hasty snow pit in the upper starting zone of the Shed 11 avalanche path at 6400’ on a southerly aspect. Snow depth was 70” with about a foot of new snow from the storm accumulated on crust/facet/crust layer sandwich (pit profile below). No propagating fractures with an Extended Column Test.
  • Overcast or obscured skies with on again/off again periods of snowfall with intensities up to S1.
  • Light to moderate easterly winds with occasional strong gusts at all elevations.
  • Air temperatures have been dropping all day. As of 1700 they range from -3 to 3 °F on the Canyon floor and -15 to -11 °F at weather stations above 6000’.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Flathead Range/Glacier National Park - John F. Stevens Canyon
Activity: 
Skiing