Moto Level 1 Southern Whitefish

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation: Southern Whitefish Range
Observation date: 
Saturday, January 30, 2021 - 18:00
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
No
Observation made by: Forecaster

Tabs

Quick Observation

Today we went into the southern Whitefish Range with a group of motorized users for an Avalanche Level 1 class. 

  • We found a range of 6 to 12 inches of snow on top of the 1/13 crust at all elevations.
  • We found a layer of buried surface hoar at varying depths depending on elevation.  
    • At low elevations on a north aspect, we found buried surface hoar and facets on top of the 1/13 crust. 
    • At roughly 6000 feet on a southwest aspect, we found buried surface hoar 6 to 8 inches below the surface. Roughly 3 to 5 inches above the 1/13 crust. 
    • In tests at both locations, this layer produced non-propagating results. 
  • For an experiment, we added 4ish inches of loose snow on top of an extended column test, and boom. Propagation. It seemed clear that the missing ingredient was a slab. 
  • Other than gawking at the 1/13 avalanche cycle, we observed no recent avalanche activity.
Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Whitefish Range - Southern (south of Coal Creek)
Route Description: 
Activity: 
Snowmobiling
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
3500-5000 ft
5000-6500 ft
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
N
SW
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Surface Hoar
Facets or Faceted Crust
Buried
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
2.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
155
Sky Cover: 
Overcast (OVC)
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
Very Light Snowfall (S-1)