Middle forkin'

Location Name: 
Cascadilla
Observation date: 
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 - 21:15
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Public

Tabs

Quick Observation
  • We saw two D2 slides on a SE aspect, one with a debris pile at 4600' and the other at 4800'.  Given the wind-softened edges of chunks, they were probably at least a few days old.  Likely originated at ridge but did not view crowns.  Debris certainly looked slab-like rather than loose wet.  Saw one natural D2 windslab on ENE at 7100' (see avalanche tab) (previously reported here).   
  • From highway til 4600', around 9:15-10:30 we found a very soft refreeze overnight.  On our exit at 2:30, 4600' was also where we encountered a sudden shift from dryish snow on a steep NW aspect to very sticky saturated snow below.  Rollerball activity at 4400' (photo) made us tune in to Loose Wet concerns, but did not trigger any.  
  • Did not dig for persistent slab, but encountered no red flags and hand pits showed a resistant interface. 
  • Highly variable wind effect encountered everywhere from trim line/wilderness boundary/valley bottom and up.  Sometimes scoured, dimpled near-blue ice bed surface, sometimes pillows at least a few feet thick and up to 1F+ hardness.  Ski crampon territory.  
  • Morning winds quickly progressed to moderate and stayed there through the day.  No visible snow remained for transport. 
  • Partially to avoid what seemed a complicated windslab situation, partially to find softer snow, we skipped on exposed near-treeline terrain around 6200' and instead found shelter in the trees below.  Recycled, wind effected, but still soft on a true N.  
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Flathead Range - Middle Fork Corridor
Route Description: 

Up Cascadilla to N saddle at 5800'.  

Activity: 
Skiing
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Monday, February 7, 2022 - 12:00
Number of avalanches: 
1
Avalanche Type: 
Hard Slab
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
New/old snow interface
More information or comments about the avalanche: 

Est. of size/dimensions/date triggered.  Large cornices above on ridge, so seems a likely trigger. 

Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Trigger Modifier: 
Cornice Fall Triggered
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
40
Aspect: 
Northeast
Starting Elevation: 
7100'
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.
Relative Size: 
R2 Small
Crown Height: 
1 ft
Avalanche Length (Vertical Run): 
600ft.
Avalanche Width (Average width): 
150ft.
Hide People Involved
Number of people caught: 
0
Number of partial burials: 
0
Number of full burials: 
0
Avalanche Location: