A ways from ripe yet

Location Name: 
Forecaster Observation - Skookaleel
Observation date: 
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 17:30
Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
No
Observation made by: Forecaster

Location

Tabs

Quick Observation

Baseline snowpack info prior to WMR opening. 5600-6800 ft. 

  • Stormy day. Snow showers, some heavy at times. 3-5 inches of dense new snow in past 24 hours. Dense (4F because small grains tightly packed. Not wet, except below 5000 ft. 
  • Moderate to strong southwesterly winds with light blowing snow mid and upper elevations; moderate at exposed ridge. 
  • Skies obscured.

The new snow was reactive to a person's weight on most slopes.

  • Shooting cracks 3-30 feet long.
  • It failed on isolation in small and large column tests.
  • Despite the cracking and failures, we could not trigger any avalanches on steep test slopes. 
  • The layer is failing on a very soft (F) layer of low-density snow immediately below it (12/7 pp). This soft snow looks to be large precipitation particles (stellars and dendrites) rather than facets.

Other notable obs:

  • Several thick drifts below a corniced ridge collapsed and whumpfed but did not move. These also seemed to fail on the 12/7 layer.
  • No recent rain crusts, though WMR patrol reported spotty crusts on northerly slopes.

Travel conditions:

  • Snow depths of 50-120 cm above 6200 feet
  • Windward and sunny slopes had the thinnest snow cover, with lots of barely buried logs and rocks.
  • The 12/3 crust is supportable on shady slopes, making for straightforward travel.
  • Below 6200 feet, bush depths of 30 to 300 cm, making for slow, patience-testing travel. 

With the heavy snow and winds, it felt like winter. finally.

 

Pics to come.

Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Whitefish Range - Southern (south of Coal Creek)
Route Description: 

Up Smokey Range Trail to summit of Skook Ridge and return same way. 

Activity: 
Skiing
Snowpack Details
Snowpack and Weather Details: 
Hide Terrain
Elevation of observation: 
5000-6500 ft
Above 6500 ft
Aspect(s) of observation: 
NE
SW
W
NW
Red Flags: 
Shooting cracks
Collapsing / whumpfing noises
More than a foot of new snow or heavy snowfall rates (>1"/hr)
Blowing snow
Persistent Weak Layers: 
Not observed
New Snow in the past 24 hours: 
5.00in.
Total Snow Depth: 
70 cm
More comments about the snowpack and weather: 
Stormy day: S-1 to S5, which were mostly 10-20 min showers. HN24 8-12 cm, most of that by mid-morning. Dense, but not wet in AM. Wet below 5000 ft PM. Clouds below 6500 ft except one brief almost clearing late morning Winds above 6000 ft mod w strong gusts, southwest. Wind speeds picked up through the day, with some extended periods of string winds. 2 snow profiles. both about 6700 ft, on NW and NE facing slopes. HS 70 and 120, respectively. Dec. 3 surface (P-hard MFcr; ~5cm thick) at 53 and 90. No failures at this layer, and a person's weight would be very unlikely to produce collapse below this crust. Did fail below 12/3 interface when isolated in both profiles (ECTN 11 and CT11 brk; ECTP 14 and CTM SF). Another failure at 50 cm (ECTP 24) 50 cm from ground in NE profile. Rounding FC. More refrozen MF below this and above ground in both profiles.
Blowing Snow: 
Light
Wind Speed: 
Strong (Whole trees in motion)
Wind Direction: 
Southwest
Snow line: 
4500 feet
Sky Cover: 
Obscured by fog, etc (X)
Highest Precipitation Rate: 
Heavy Snowfall (S5)