See ya in the spring

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Apgar Range
Observation date: 
Friday, December 31, 2021 - 15:45
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
No
Observation made by: Forecaster

Tabs

Quick Observation

Another shot of cold Arctic air kept our plan short and straightforward. Like many other locals, we enjoyed the Camas Road's final day for the 2021-22 winter season.

  • Wind-affected snow was found along ridgelines above 5500' and was easy to identify by its dense nature and hollow sound. We found 6-8 inch surface slabs in hand pits, and ski pole tests revealed stiff snow over softer snow. 
  • Slabs were stubborn, becoming hard, and we could not initiate shooting cracks or failure on test slopes. We noted only minor cracking underfoot. 
  • There was still plenty of snow on the trees, which clued us in that winds had not been as strong as they often are in this drainage.
  • Cornices are large but mainly unreactive to the weight of a skier. We were able to break off chunks the length of our skis, but there was no propagation.
  • We did not find any recently formed surface hoar despite actively searching.
  • Settled old powder skied well on southerly slopes.

 

Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Glacier National Park - Apgar Range
Activity: 
Skiing
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
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Not observed
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
1.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
62 inches
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
There is good coverage at low elevations in this area. We dug our snowpit on a NE aspect at 6050 feet. HS=62 inches. We found a shear plane on a density change harboring small facets 22 inches below the surface. This layer failed in a small column test with moderate force but did not propagate in a large column test. There is a thin layer of small rounding facets within the basal ice mass which was obvious to the naked eye in the pit wall. This layer was unreactive in our tests.
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Northeast
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Snow line: 
500 feet
Sky Cover: 
Partly Cloudy (SCT)