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Good things don't last Furlong
Location Name:
Tranquil Basin
Observation date:
Saturday, April 4, 2020 - 15:00
Is this an Avalanche Observation:
No
Observation made by:
Public
Tabs
Quick Observation
Spent the morning skiing laps on West face of Devils Hump. The snow surface appeared to not be wind effected today, however anyone who was skiing on Friday knew that the winds were blowing 30+mph from West and Southwest on and off throughout the day. The abundant dry snow was loading east faces aggressively Friday afternoon. The winds subsided later in the evening and another 3+ inches of snow was deposited in calm conditions. This made it tricky to identify wind effect today based on surface appearances.
The morning temps remained cool with patchy cloud cover, light flurries, and filtered sunshine. By about 2pm the sunshine was finally beginning to work the snow surface. Above 6500' remained relatively dry, but below that was transitioning to hot pow.
Skied 5 laps on this run with no instabilities. Mid-day observed two groups skiing on Furlong. One party of 4 put tracks down 40+ degree terrain on the SE and E aspects. Sluffing was observed, but no persistent slab activity. Another party of 6 skiers followed suit and skiied a variety of steep terrain on the East Face of Furlong. I didn't notice any instabilities other than sluffing again.
I was surprised by these terrain choices for the day due to the recent persistent slab activity in the Northern Flathead Range and Skyland. And additionally the windloading that was taking place less than 24hours prior. I guess when the weather forecast says that the powder might not last Furlong, the "dial back" metality doesn't last Furlong either.
I exited around 6pm. As I descended to the valley, it became apparent that the sun had its way with any unsheltered terrain below 5500'. Even north facing.
Travel Details
Region:
Flathead Range/Glacier National Park - John F. Stevens Canyon
Route Description:
Tranquil Basin
Activity:
Skiing
