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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2024–Jan 5th, 2024

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

The deep persistent slab problem warrants concern at treeline and above.

Choose conservative terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed or reported since last weekend.

Snowpack Summary

Trace amounts of snow has buried surface hoar below treeline and sun crusts on steep solar slopes treeline and above. Wind effect and old, hard-slab are found TL and above. A temperature crust from just before Christmas is now buried 5-15 cm below 1900m.

The mid-pack contains a rain crust which can be found as high as 2300m in southern areas.

The basal third of the snowpack consists of a mix of weak facets and depth hoar.

Treeline snow depths range from 60-100 cm.

Weather Summary

Light snowfall will fade to flurries overnight Thursday. West winds will slow to moderate by the morning.

Friday, winds will approach the strong range shifting SW as a low starts to influence the region in the afternoon. 5-10 cm of accumulation is expected through Sunday.

Treeline temperatures are expected to be -5 to -15 C and decrease on Sunday.

For more information, click Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
  • Use caution when approaching steep and rocky terrian.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.