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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 8th, 2024–Feb 9th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Howson.

Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Several size 1 (small) wind slab avalanches were triggered by riders in steep, wind-loaded, convex terrain features in the alpine on Wednesday.

A couple of older naturally triggered wind slabs up to size 2.5 were reported on northerly aspects in the alpine. One likely occurred from a cornice that failed and triggered the slope below.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5 cm will fall on Friday over heavily wind-affected surfaces.

In sheltered areas, 10 to 30 cm of settled dry snow overlies a thick and hard melt-freeze crust below approximately 1700 m. The crust is at the snow surface at lower elevations.

The middle of the snowpack may contain old, weak faceted layers and hard crusts, which do not currently present a concern.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 35 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 10 to 35 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.