Public Observation - Twin Lakes/Stryker Ridge, Whitefish Range

Location Name: 
Public Observation - Stryker area, Whitefish Range
Region: 
Whitefish Range - Northern (north of Coal Creek)
Date and time of observation: 
Sun, 02/12/2017 - 12:00
Location Map: 

Red Flags: 
Recent avalanche activity
Recent loading by new snow, wind, or rain
Observation made by: Public
Snowpit Observations
Snowpack photos: 
Any other comments about the observation or links to outside pages that have more info on the observation: 

We went for a fun ride near Olney today aware of the avalanche conditions and snowpack. There were 5 of us, and we covered quite a bit of ground. The snow was hard and crusty with sugar snow underneath down in the lower elevations, and as we climbed into the high tree line, the snow became softer and powdery.  On certain aspects there was a wind blown crust layer but this varied depending on what aspect we were on.  Played in the trees all day and saw some recent avalanche activity from this past week. We also noted large crowns in the upper tree line from sometime in the last 2 days when stability was poor.  We noted massive slides in the east range toward Swede Creek that we could see from the road (we were very far away but could see the crown lines)  that ran all the way down the chute slide path. It was a great day in the mountains!  

 

Weather Observations
Blowing Snow: 
No
Cloud Cover: 
Clear
Air temperature: 
Below Freezing
Wind Speed: 
Light (Twigs in motion)
Precipitation: 
None
Air temperature trend: 
Warming
Wind Direction: 
Southeast
Accumulation rate: 
None
More detailed information about the weather: 

Blue sunny skies all day, a light wind up high. Colder in the morning and snowpack was hard, softened as the temps rose throughout the afternoon. 

Activity: 
Snowbiking
Low Temp. (C): 
25