Dangerous backcountry conditions prompted a special avalanche warning Friday morning after Northwest Montana mountains were buried in 2 to 3 feet of snow.

The Flathead Avalanche Center issued the advisory for slopes over 5,000 feet in the Flathead Range, the Lake McDonald area of Glacier National Park, and areas around Marias Pass along U.S. 2. Natural and human-triggered slides were likely in those locations.

Significant snow had accumulated in the high terrain Friday, with Tunnel Ridge in the Flathead Range recording about 30 inches and Essex picking up 2 feet. The new snow buried weak layers in the snowpack, creating the potential for very large avalanches, the Avalanche Center warned.

“The best way to approach these conditions — and to come home so you can ride again tomorrow, next week and next year — is to enjoy fast turns and boondocking on low-angled slopes that aren’t below steeper start zones, especially those hundreds or thousands of feet above you where winds continue to top-load and cross-load steep terrain,” forecaster Blase Reardon warned.

Mountaintops across the area saw intense winds Thursday, with Logan Pass in Glacier National Park clocking a 98-mph gust.

To highlight the dangers, Reardon pointed to a close call Thursday in a popular backcountry area outside the Whitefish Mountain Resort boundary. A snowboarder was caught and carried in a slide on a steep slope that funneled into large trees. No injuries were reported, but neither the snowboarder nor their partner had rescue gear.

“Allow me to be blunt, and speak from some hard experience,” Reardon wrote. “Getting caught and carried on a very steep slope (over 40 degrees) above terrain traps (large, hard trees) after you’ve walked past a recent slide when neither you nor your partner is carrying rescue gear, all in full view of a chairlift of people ... that is not how to enjoy these conditions.”

Power outages lingered in Lincoln County on Friday morning after damaging winds raked across Montana on Wednesday night and Thursday, followed by heavy snowfall Friday.

About 1,400 Flathead Electric Cooperative customers in the Libby area were still without power Friday at noon. At the peak, 4,300 customers experienced outages.

“The heavy wet snow that continued to fall through the night caused additional outages,” according to an update from the co-op. “There are still many broken poles on the lines to be dealt with, and we are sending poles and additional crews out to continue repairs.”

More mountain snow is forecast, with 5 to 8 inches expected Friday and 4 to 6 inches Saturday.

In the valley, intense snow bands between Kalispell and Missoula are possible Saturday evening as an arctic front pushes into Montana, the National Weather Service in Missoula warned.

“Rapidly falling temperatures on wet roads may create a high risk for flash-freeze conditions and dangerous travel before activity wanes by midnight,” the Weather Service advised.

Daily Inter Lake Regional Editor Matt Baldwin can be reached at 406-758-4447 or [email protected].

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