Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Apr 7th, 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.
Dvonk,
Avalanche Canada
With a lack of recovery overnight, valley bottom skiing is very catchy and feels like suction cups on your feet. Sunday will see a storm move through the region and forecast models show up to 30cm by Tuesday.
Summary
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
Thanks for a great MIN report on the Tent ridge. On a drive of the spray today no new avalanches were observed. However continued evidence of larger deep persistent avalanches should give you pause when attempting larger features.
Snowpack Summary
Temperatures remained above zero for the last 24 hours at mud lake. We expect limited additional crust development on all but due south aspects. We are at the time of year when it's 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
Saturday. The winds will pick up in to the strong range out of the SW. Day time highs of -6 and cloudy with sunny periods. Freezing levels to rise to 1800m
Sunday-Tuesday however is an anticipated 30cm.
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 8th, 2023 4:00PM
