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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 13th, 2024–Jan 14th, 2024

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Crawford, Moyie, St. Mary, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla.

New snow falling earlier in the week is being redistributed into lee terrain.

Cold weather is forecast to warm, but is still a concern. Review this blog for strategies for managing the cold.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, A large (size 2) skier trigger storm slab on a south east aspect at 2200 m was reported north west of Slocan lake. Near white water a naturally triggered size one avalanche was observed at 2250m on a north aspect. On Thursday a report of a remotely triggered size 1 persistent slab avalanche in the Rossland Range was submitted.

Snowpack Summary

In the past week, as much as 70 cm of snow has accumulated in some areas. This new snow has buried a variety of old surfaces, including surface hoar on sheltered, north-facing terrain and a sun crust on south-facing slopes.

The middle of the snowpack contains a series of old melt freeze-crusts.

A thick crust deep in the snowpack largely protects any weak layers further down in the snowpack from being triggered.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Clear with no precipitation, northwest alpine wind 15 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -24 °C.

Sunday

Sunny with no precipitation, northwest alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -18 °C.

Monday

Sunny with no precipitation, northwest alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -16 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny with no precipitation, northwest alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -15 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Give the new snow several days to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.