Take another Lapgar

Location Name: 
Apgar Crest
Observation date: 
Wednesday, December 2, 2020 - 16:00
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Public

Location

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Quick Observation

Another nice day to go skiing.

Toured up to the Apgar Crest to see what's changed up there since Sunday (11/29).
 

  • We think that little to no new snow fell here on 11/30. (trace-1/2 inch)
  • 5-6mm surface hoar formed last night on slopes that harbored dry snow previously. (not present on many south facing slopes or in other areas open to the sky that were previously wind effected). This surface hoar survived today (still observed at 3:00pm) due to cool air temps and absence of wind.
  • Skiied NE, SE, and SW facing slopes today. NE facing gladed terrain was still holding 4-8" of dry snow from 11/25 storm. South faces offered mixed results again, but some of the stiffer surfaces were improving around 1:30pm due to intense solar input today.
  • Dug a pit today about 100ft away from the snowpit reported on 11/29 to see how the pack has evolved over the past three days. Most noteworthy changes were subtle faceting that seems to be happening in the lower 70cm of the pack. Especially on the underside of a stout melt-freeze crust that is buried 27cm below the surface at this location.
  • Also observed near surface-faceting in other E,NE,N locations. Most prevalent in areas with dry surface snow preserved from 11/25.
  • Additionally, we observed the aftermath of numerous wet-loose avalanches late in the day that released on extreme southerlies in Glacier Park. We observed these from a great distance and many slides were difficult to photograph, but I have included one good photo of Heaven's peak with several avalanches on its SW face.
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
SW
Red Flags: 
Avalanches from the past 2 days
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Surface Hoar
On the surface
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
0.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
103
Blowing Snow: 
None
Wind Speed: 
Calm (No air motion)
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Sky Cover: 
Clear (CLR)
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
No Precipitation (NO)
Avalanche Details
Avalanche Details: 
Date and Time of Avalanche: 
Wednesday, December 2, 2020 - 12:00
Number of avalanches: 
8
Avalanche Type: 
Wet Loose
Failure Plane/Weak Layer: 
Old snow
More information or comments about the avalanche: 

We observed several wet-loose avalanches in GNP from a distance. Most visable were those on Heavens Peak SW face. Other peaks with avalanche activity were Longfellow and Jackson. Most seemed to occur above 7000'. I am guessing that the 11/30 storm system produced greater snow totals at these evevations in the park, which provided more snow available for wet loose activity during todays intense solar. Compared to steep slopes in the Apgars (where we were) that did not have very much new snow and produced no wet loose slides that we could find.

Hide Trigger
Trigger: 
natural
Hide Terrain
Start Zone Slope Angle: 
35
Aspect: 
Southwest
Starting Elevation: 
above-treeline
Hide Size
Destructive Size: 
D2 Could bury, injure, or kill a person.
Relative Size: 
R1 Very Small
Avalanche Location: