West Central Montana Avalanche Center

Tough layer of concern is top of ice (rain crust), there are other planar layers deeper as well.

New snow is still soft, but starting to show signs of bonding. Watch out as this storm slab hardens, it will likely become more reactive on hard ice layer 30cms down. Though isolated to shaded north slopes above 7500', we are also watching thin ice sheen interface now 85cms down in snowpack.

ECTP @ 85cm not likely widespread, we haven't seen reactivity on this layer anywhere else in the area. 34cm layer of greatest concern with consolidation of slab and wind loading.

The new snow is too light to be of concern for slabs in this location, yet. With further loading, wind, rising temp and time there will a consolidated slab on top of buried surface hoar and slab avalanches will likely be a problem.

Found easy propagation on two buried surface hoar layers on protected NE aspect.

Though we had ECTP28down115cm, it ended up that we were digging above cliffs, so rocks and air near there made result more suspect.