Hold on tight to those handle bars.

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Northern Swan
Observation date: 
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - 17:30
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Forecaster

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Quick Observation

Today we went into the Swan Range to view recent avalanche activity and get a feel for storm slab sensitivity. Our first attempt was to go into Noisey Basin. The ice skating rink/road turned us around, so we made an audible to the Northern Swan. Access from the hungry horse side is a significantly better approach. FYI.

  • Despite warm air temperatures, cool winds rapidly refroze the surface. By 1200, the surface down to 5000 feet was refrozen into a 3 to 4 inch rain crust. This crust supported a snowmachine in places. In other areas where it was breakable, it made for challenging riding conditions. The crust rode you more than you rode it. 
  • We found widespread storm slab avalanches at mid and upper elevations, which likely occurred this morning or last night. These mostly ranged from 1 to 2 feet thick and were large enough to bury and kill a person.
  • Click here if you are having trouble viewing the video below. 

Today was a day for viewing. 

Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Videos: 

Storm slabs in the Swan Range

Travel Details
Region: 
Swan Range - East Side (Hungry Horse Reservoir access)
Activity: 
Skiing
Snowmobiling
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
N
NE
E
SE
S
Red Flags: 
Avalanches from the past 2 days
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
Temps were dropping throughout the day. At 1200 the truck at the reservoir showed 37 degrees.
Blowing Snow: 
Previous
Wind Speed: 
Strong (Whole trees in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Air temperature: 
Above Freezing
Sky Cover: 
Overcast (OVC)
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
Very Light Snowfall (S-1)
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - 05:00
Number of avalanches: 
25
Avalanche Type: 
Soft Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
New/old snow interface
More information or comments about the avalanche: 

This was an impressive avalanche cycle. It seemed that the most widespread activity was on northerly aspects. Southerly aspects did have numerous crowns on them, but nothing that compared to the connectivity to the ones on northerlies. 

Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
35
Starting Elevation: 
near-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.
Avalanche Location: