Observation Date: 12/16/2018

Route/Location:
Wisherd Ridge

Weather:

Wind:

New Snow: 0-3″

Avalanche Activity:
Sunday climbing the ridge in between Susie and 2nd bowl the snow settled on us a good ten times. Any place the top of the snowpack was stiff enough to transmit force it settled; aspects that were powder did not. We decided to tour along the top of the ridge for safety. The top of the ridge did not settle and whoomph where we skied outside of snowmobile tracks, which could have lead to a false sense of security. A snowmobile track which cut the top of a less steep section of 5th bowl had not released an avalanche.

Things got spicier skinning along the tree line near the top of 4th bowl where the snow settled from our weight remotely triggering an avalanche in 4th bowl about 50 feet away. See photos. The crown was a good 20-30 inches taking out most of the snowpack. I heard a whoomph. My partner hear what sounded like a gun shot. It was the most hair trigger conditions I have experienced in 25 years of Western MT skiing; I don’t say that lightly. It was the kind of day you could get killed just going to look over the edge. Hopefully everyone had a safe weekend.

Snowmobiling into Wisherd there was a lot of rocks for 4 miles and it wasn’t really worth the abuse to the sled. TNC also installed a locked gate about 3 miles up which says it’s open to snowmobiling but blocks the road forcing you to smash around in the woods for a bit.

Other Comments:

Observer: Ian M