Swan River State Forest

Out for a day of avalanche training in the State Forest:

• Breakable rain crust from 2/22 extends up to 4800'. Recent snow on top of the crust was 0-2"
• Crust was thickest/hardest around 4500.'  Here we were able to break off windshield-sized sheets.
• Test pit on North aspect at 4500' found the 1/13 crust down ~2 feet.
• We found wet snow below the 1/13 crust. 
• Small and large column tests produced failures with easy force below the 2/22 crust and hard force near the 1/13 crust. 
• Found evidence of wind loading on North aspect and crossloading on West aspect.
• Test slopes and cornices were not reactive to the weight of a person or machine.
• South aspects warmed enough to produce small roller balls in the afternoon.
• No other obvious signs of instability.
• No recent avalanches.

We traveled one at a time in areas where the road crossed slopes exceeding 30 degrees.