Professional Observation - Doris Creek, Swan Range

Location Name: 
Professional Observation - Doris Creek, Swan Range
Region: 
Swan Range - East Side (Hungry Horse Reservoir access)
Date and time of observation: 
Mon, 02/20/2017 - 12:25
Location Map: 

Red Flags: 
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Obvious avalanche path
Observation made by: Professional Observer
Snowpit Observations
More detailed information about the snowpack: 

We rode into the Doris Creek drainage today.    We found very little snow on top of  the most recent rain crust in the lower parts of the drainage and deeper snow towards the ridgeline. 

Our pit was dug on an east aspect at 6300 ft.  Fractures occurred within the storm slab (CT 6, 25 cm down and ECTN 6, 25 cm down), but no propagation occurred. These fractures occurred within the storm slab on a subtle hardness change from Fist to 4-Finger.  This appeared to be the wet, heavy snow from the last few days underneath the somewhat drier snow from earlier in the storm cycle.  The rain crust is very evident here, and roughly 10 cm thick.  

We did not see any recent avalanche activity.  Riding conditions were great, with a nice reload of soft snow in higher elevations.  

Snowpit or crown profile photo or graph: 
Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
100% of the sky covered by clouds
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Calm (No air motion)
Precipitation: 
Snow
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Accumulation rate: 
Less than 1 in. per hour
More detailed information about the weather: 

It was snowing hard at the time of our observation.  As we rode out we noticed temperatures near the freezing mark at the parking lot.

Activity: 
Snowmobiling
Precip Rate: 
S2; moderate snowfall, 2cm/hour