Great to be back

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Noisy Basin, Swan Range
Observation date: 
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 - 14:30
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Forecaster

Location

Tabs

Quick Observation

We traveled to the Aeneas Ridge weather station to troubleshoot a problem with a temperature and relative humidity sensor. Visiting this area gave us a general sense of the snowpack distribution and structure in a location favored by this season's early-season snowfall.

  • Below 5000 feet, there are 4 - 8 inches of snow on the ground. Above 6000 feet, 30 - 40 inches in areas sheltered from the wind. 
  • Evidence of last week's westerly and recent northeasterly winds is visible in most aspects above 6000 feet. All varieties of wind-affected snow were enjoyed, including sastrugi, hard slab, soft slab, windboard, and cornice formation. 
  • Recent atypical northeasterly winds formed reactive 2 - 4 inch slabs on westerly aspects. Westerly winds from last week left stubborn slabs on the north and east aspects. 
  • Our snowpit on a northwest aspect at 6700 feet confirmed the pack is currently right side up, i.e., the snowpack near the ground is stronger than the snow closer to the surface. Please see the Snowpack tab for more details.
  • Variable snow conditions and plenty of surface obstacles such as brush, rocks, and down trees kept us on our toes.

 

Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Swan Range - West Side (Flathead Valley access)
Activity: 
Skiing
Hiking
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
SW
W
NW
Red Flags: 
Shooting cracks
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Surface Hoar
Facets or Faceted Crust
On the surface
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
0.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
40
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
Our snowpit at 6700 feet on a northwest aspect had a snow depth of 40 inches. The bottom half of the pack was moist and strong (1F hard or stronger). The upper half of the pack was dry and slightly weaker (1F- or weaker). No fracture occurred during our ECT (ECTX). Our Compression Tests revealed a thin layer of graupel 8 cm below the surface (CT4x2) and a thin layer of facets buried 30 cm below the surface (CT14, CT15).
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Northeast
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Snow line: 
1000 feet
Sky Cover: 
Mostly Clear (FEW)
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Friday, November 4, 2022 - 14:00
Number of avalanches: 
1
Avalanche Type: 
Soft Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
Unknown
More information or comments about the avalanche: 

This crown was viewed on 11/8.

Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
40
Aspect: 
Northeast
Starting Elevation: 
7100 feet
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D1.5
Relative Size: 
R2 Small
Crown Height: 
Less than 1 ft
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run): 
300ft.
Avalanche Width (Average width): 
50ft.
Avalanche Location: