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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2025–Jan 8th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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

Little Yoho.

After an extended spell with no change and soft surface snow in this region, rising winds on Tuesday and into Wednesday are expected to change the surface snow conditions and briefly raise the avalanche danger. Monitor the texture of the snow carefully and avoid wind-loaded areas in leeward terrain or gully walls (cross-loading).

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No observations were reported from this region on Tuesday, but in adjacent regions, Only small (size 1) windslabs and dry loose (sluffs) were observed today, but lots of blowing snow and spindrift was circulating.

Snowpack Summary

Building west winds have blown the surface snow into the lee side of ridge crests and cross-loaded gully features, but slab formation has been limited due to the dry, faceted nature of the blowing snow. The mid-pack is generally strong but a weak crust/facet layer can be found near the ground in shallow snowpack areas. At treeline, average snowpack depths are 120-150 cm. The snowpack here is generally deeper and more consolidated than areas further east in the BYK region.

Weather Summary

The wind has finally arrived and will continue to blow strong (60-80 km/hr) from the SW until mid-day on Wednesday when it should taper. Expect up to 5 centimetres of new snow on Wednesday morning, and temperatures will remain cool, from -5 to -12. Overall an unstable few days ahead with wind as the dominant feature and small amounts of new snow expected.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.

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.