Lawinenlagebericht

North Rockies

Feb 19 – 20, 2023Avalanche Canada
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Archiviert · abgelaufen 4 years ago

Lawinengefahr

Tue
Wed
Hochgebirge
4 · Gross
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
3 · Erheblich

Kernpunkte

Forecast snow and wind Saturday night and into Sunday will build reactive storm slabs. Large, natural avalanches may occur at upper elevations and human-triggered avalanches are expected at all elevations.

Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of run out zones.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely - Very Likely
    Größe
    1.5–3

    Forecast snow and wind on Sunday will build reactive storm slabs. Large, natural avalanches may occur at upper elevations and human-triggered avalanches are expected at all elevations.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely - Possible
    Größe
    2.5–4

    A layer of large, weak facets sits near the base of the snowpack. This layer is most prominent in the upper treeline and lower alpine elevations. This layer may be triggered by large loads like a wind slab avalanche that steps down to deeper layers or a cornice release.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Forecast snow and wind on Sunday will build reactive storm slabs. Large, natural avalanches may occur at upper elevations and human-triggered avalanches are expected at all elevations.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall amounts have varied widely across the region with Pine Pass, Core Lodge riding area, and the southwest receiving the highest amounts of 20-30 cm.

Forecast snow and wind on Sunday will build reactive storm slabs. Large, natural avalanches may occur at upper elevations and human-triggered avalanches will be likely at all elevations.

The mid-pack is gaining strength and consists of rounding facets and melt-freeze crusts that are starting to degrade. A spotty surface hoar layer buried around January 4th can still be found between 60 to 80 cm. Avalanche activity has not been reported on this layer recently but it is still showing up in snowpack tests.

Near the base of the snowpack, a persistent weak layer composed of large and weak facets formed in November is strengthening slowly. This layer is most likely to be triggered in thin, rocky alpine and upper treeline terrain.

Weather Summary

Saturday night

Snow; 10-25 cm / Strong west ridgetop wind / Low -8 °C / Freezing level valley bottom.

Sunday

Snow; 10-25 cm / Strong west ridgetop wind / High -1 °C / Freezing level 1200 m.

Monday

Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwest ridgetop wind / High of -5 °C / Freezing level valley bottom.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny / Moderate northeast ridgetop wind / High of -18 °C / Freezing level valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of run out zones.
  • Minimize exposure during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.
  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Use small low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.

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