Avalanche Control is planned for Mt. Dennis in Yoho on Tuesday. The Mt Dennis intermittent avalanche closure zone is CLOSED on Tuesday Jan. 11th
Strong SW wind has been loading lee areas in the alpine and tree line. This, coupled with an additional 5-15 cm of new snow and mild temperatures may create reactive windslabs in some areas.
The Dec. 2 crust/facets are down 60-100 cm throughout the region. Sparse and sporadic activity has occurred mainly in Kootenay, including two explosive triggered avalanches in the Simpson Area on Jan. 10th. Uncertainty remains around this layer.
Temperatures will be mild in the -5 to -10 range Tuesday and Wednesday and gradually warming into Thursday with freezing levels approaching 1800m. Winds will be strong from the SW throughout before easing on Thursday afternoon. Forecasted snowfall amounts vary widely, but generally 5-10 cm on Tuesday with an additional 15-30 cm on Wed/Thurs
Previous strong SW winds have created wind effect and some stubborn windslabs in the alpine and at treeline. The Dec 2 crust/facet interface is down 60-100 cm, and the snowpack is very faceted in shallower areas.
A heli-bombing mission with explosives today in Kootenay National Park produced limited results. Generally thin, small slabs or no results with some evidence of avalanches gouging down to facets in the tracks at lower elevations. Two results in the Simpson area were deeper, initiating ~ 2200m on the Dec. 2nd crust and running up to size 2.5.
