Smoky Range Ramble

In and out of multiple drainages, with lots of time on ridges in the southern Whitefish Range. Saw a lot of country  

• Reactive soft slabs that were confined to steep, lee sides of ridge crests (east and north). 2 small, remotely-triggered soft slabs, shooting cracks on slopes not steep enough to slide, with a few in one steep, sheltered, and treed slope. Regular collapsing on ridge crests with fresh drifts. 
• We found no signs on instability on slopes that had been sun-affected earlier this week, and chose to climb some of these slopes. No signs of instability on sheltered slopes with one exception (above).
• Moderate blowing snow most of the day, with soft drifts forming and loading immediately below ridge crests. Cornices reactive to a person's weight, with some breaking remotely up to 30 feet away. 
• No snowpits, but lots of hand blocks and several quick crown investivations. Very consistent failure plane - buried surface hoar or facets about 2" above the 1/13 crust. There's 8-10" of snow above this weak layer, with the snow immediately above 4F hard in the crowns we checked out.
• By midmorning, the sky had clouded over. We found no wet snow or signs of wet snow instability. Steep, southerly, mid-elevation slopes had a distinct sun crust.
• One glide crack. Southeast facing, mid elevation slope (6400'), N Kimmerly Ck

Despite the small size of the slabs we triggered, we steered clear of steep leeward slopes. Lots of potential for injury.