Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Nov 14th, 2020 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Loose Dry.
Tim Haggarty,
West winds are moving snow in the alpine right now. Both the frequency and size of natural avalanches are expected to increase for Sunday. There is very little snow below 2200m: be very cautious with early season hazards.
Summary
Weather Forecast
An additional 10 cm of expected snow will bring storm amounts up to 25 cm Sunday. Saturday's moderate, gusting strong, alpine winds will shift to the SW and increase. A slight increase in temperatures is also expected with Alpine temperatures ranging from -10 to -14C.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 15m of snow in the past 48hrs. Moderate West winds are building wind slabs in alpine terrain. The early Nov crusts exist up to 2400m in the Icefields Parkway area and found to be up to 2700m in the Sunshine area. This crust is 5-10cm thick and found 20-40cm above the ground. At tree line the snowpack is 40-80cm with very little below this .
Avalanche Summary
Limited visibility with wind transport evident in the alpine today. A sz 1.5 loose dry avalanche was observed out of the start zone for one of the Dolomite Peak paths. Lake Louise ski area reported several natural slabs to sz 1.5 in their ridge crest terrain resulting from the winds in the past 24 hrs.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Problems
Wind Slabs
Fresh wind slabs have developed in ridge crest and gully features in alpine terrain. Although small to this point, we expect size to increase. These may run fast and far and would be a problem for climbers or skiers in gullies or steep terrain.
- Be careful around wind loaded areas near ridge crests, cross loaded gullies and roll-overs.
- Avoid exposure to terrain traps where the consequences of a small avalanche could be serious.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Loose Dry
Fresh snow now buries the early November crusts and may not be bonding well. This problem is mainly a concern in steep confined terrain or where a small sluff could push you over a cliffs edge or into a terrain trap.
- If triggered dry loose point releases can form deeper deposits in terrain traps.
- 875
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Nov 15th, 2020 4:00PM
