Wet Slide near Marion Lake Trail

Location Name: 
Marion Lake
Observation date: 
Friday, March 18, 2022 - 18:00

Is this an Avalanche Observation: 
Yes
Observation made by: Public

Tabs

Quick Observation

Toured up to 6500' on Repeater Ridge near Marion Lake today.

  • On the way in, we observed a D1 wet loose avalanche that came within 50 feet of the boundary trail. We continued to see rollerballs and wet loose slides on steep southerly slopes on the way in.
  • As we gained elevation, there was a thick (~2in) suncrust on sunny slopes where it had refrozen overnight.
  • There was 1-2 inches of new snow on this crust above the lake.
  • We walked along the north side of the ridge to see if we could get any remote triggers on the persistent weak layer. We triggered no slides but experienced some cracking underneath our skis.
  • Dug a pit at 6500' on a N aspect. ECTN28 on the facets above the crust.

We skied dust on crust out on a south aspect, we still didnt have enough confidence to commit to aspects where the persistent weak layer is lurking.

Snowpack, Avalanche, Weather Images: 
Travel Details
Region: 
Flathead Range - Middle Fork Corridor
Activity: 
Skiing