Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 14th, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is Storm Slabs.
, the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems includeDon't let early season stoke and clearing skies lure you in!
Lots of new snow and strong winds mean avalanche hazard remains high.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
A few natural wind slab avalanches up to size 2 on north-facing, alpine terrain were reported on Wednesday. These avalanches are suspected to be up to 100 cm deep.
Check out Wednesday's report from our Avalanche Canada field team.
If you do go into the backcountry, consider submitting a Mountain Information Network report.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 60 to 100 cm of recent storm snow continues to be redistributed by strong south and southwesterly winds. Deep deposits of wind-loaded snow can be found on north and northeast facing slopes, and on lee features. South-facing slopes may be stripped of snow by recent winds.
There may be stiff wind slab underneath new fluffy snow, be sure to dig and investigate.
Treeline snow depth is roughly 80 to 100 cm, however, snow depths overall remain highly variable.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature -6°C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy, with a clearance expected in the northeast of the region, trace amounts of snow possible, southwest alpine winds 30 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -10°C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow possible, southwest alpine winds 20 - 40 km/h, treeline temperature -10°C.
Sunday
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 60 to 100 km/h, treeline temperature -10°C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
- Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Problems
Storm Slabs
More than 50 cm of recent new snow means that avalanches could be possible on all aspects.
Fresh and reactive slabs are most likely on slopes facing north and northeast, and on lee features like ridges, convexities and gullies.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 15th, 2023 4:00PM