Rescue Creek avalanche activity

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Rescue Creek, Flathead Range
Observation date: 
Monday, February 19, 2018 - 14:30
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Forecaster

Tabs

Quick Observation

Took a quick short walk up Rescue Creek to assess avalanche activity following the recent blizzard.

  • 18" of recent snow resting on the 2/8 rain crust at 4000' with 24" at 5000'.
  • In the forest, deep dry loose debris had crossed the Rescue Creek trail in several places.
  • Wind effect from the Saturday night/Sunday blizzard was evident in the forest and in the main Rescue basin. 
  • Above 4200' the snow surface varied from deep low density powder, 6-8" soft wind slab capping deep powder to a 1-2" 1F hard wind slab capping deep powder.  I did not travel above 5000'.
  • Skiing was variable.  
  • Natural dry loose and storm slab avalanche activity noted from Saturday night/Sunday. The majority of the debris was covered with recent snow but appeared to be D1-D2 in size. 
  • The lack of slide activity and corresponding size was a bit surprising considering I traveled to Rescue specifically because it generally provides great debris piles and crowns following large storms.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Flathead Range - Bob Marshall Wilderness
Route Description: 

Up the Rescue Creek trail to 5000'.

Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
N
NE
E
NW
Red Flags: 
More than a foot of new snow or heavy snowfall rates (>1"/hr)
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Not observed
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
0.00in.
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
The strong east through north winds over the weekend had worked over the surface snow in many areas but locations that escaped the wind still harbored deep low density snow. The surface wind slab was poorly bonded to the underlying low density snow. This slab varied from 6-8' soft slab to 1-2" hard slab. This short tour was to gather avalanche data and I did not travel into upper elevation terrain.
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Saturday, February 17, 2018 - 23:30
Avalanche Type: 
Soft Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
New/old snow interface
More information or comments about the avalanche: 

Crown lines were covered with new snow leaving crown height and avalanche width unknown. Avalanche length is estimated.

Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
35
Aspect: 
Southeast
Starting Elevation: 
above-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.
Relative Size: 
R2 Small
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run): 
1500ft.
Avalanche Location: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Saturday, February 17, 2018 - 23:15
Avalanche Type: 
Loose Dry/ Sluff
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
New/old snow interface
Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
35
Aspect: 
North
Starting Elevation: 
near-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D1.5
Relative Size: 
R2 Small
Avalanche Location: