Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Apr 6th, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Deep Persistent Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
matt,
Avalanche Canada
With the exception of the valley bottoms, our current weather trend is keeping the freeze/thaw cycles at bay. Until this changes, we are stuck with a winter snowpack that's stalling out from a stability perspective. A positive change in the snow is a slow process these days.
Summary
Confidence
Avalanche Summary
We had a report of an avalanche on Tent Ridge and Mt Kidd today. The age is unknow, but suspected to be 2-3 days old.
Snowpack Summary
Not a huge ambient temperature swing today. With a short period above zero, we expect limited additional crust development on all but due south aspects. We are at the time of year when its hard to nail down specific layers. In a more general (and applicable) sense, we have a collection of crusts in the top 1/3 of the snowpack with a known persistent facet problem lingering mid pack on north aspects. And of course, our old friend, the Nov 17 facet layer is still lingering down deep on all aspects. It's bit of a complex situation. The defense strategy? Well, given recent avalanche activity, it's still best to dodge the problem all together and avoid bigger/steeper terrain. Beyond that, dig or probe as you travel to give a better sense of distribution.
Weather Summary
Friday is expected to be cloudy, with a small chance of light flurries, or even a light rain shower in the afternoon. An overnight low of only -5 and a daytime high of +1. Light SW winds, with gusts up to 40km/hr. Light snow is expected for the week end, but at this point amounts are minimal.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
- Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
Thin, shallow areas or heavy triggers (such as cornices) are what will set this layer off. Avoid terrain with those characteristics. Intense solar radiation and daytime heating may wake up this layer.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
There are two layers of concern here: 1) a buried sun crust (on solar) and facets (on polar) down 20-40cm, and 2) a facet/depth hoar layer down 80-100cm that was buried mid season. The sensitivity of these layers is highly variable so take the time to dig down and evaluate the snowpack. These avalanche problems are more prone to triggering during periods of intense solar radiation.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Apr 7th, 2023 4:00PM
