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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 28th, 2021–Jan 29th, 2021

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Rockies.

Moderate southwest wind may build fresh wind slabs in lee terrain features in the alpine. 

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the speed, direction, or duration of the wind and its effect on the snowpack.

Weather Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Mainly cloudy, trace to 3 cm new snow, light to moderate southwest wind, treeline temperature -6 C.

FRIDAY: Mix of sun and clouds with scattered flurries, trace to 3 cm new snow, light to moderate southwest wind, treeline temperature -6 C.

SATURDAY: Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries, trace to 2 cm new snow, light to moderate southwest wind, treeline temperature -9 C.

SUNDAY: Mix of sun and clouds with scattered flurries, trace to 3 cm new snow, moderate southerly wind, treeline temperature -6 C.

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported aside from several small loose dry avalanches (sluffs) from steep alpine and treeline terrain. 

Snowpack Summary

5-15 cm of recent snow has buried surface hoar and old surfaces as for example a sun crust on steep solar aspects. Alpine and upper treeline terrain remains heavily wind affected from last week's strong to extreme southwest winds with scouring, sastrugi, isolated pockets of soft snow and layers of hard wind slab. A hard thick crust is found up to 1900 m. 

A solid mid-pack sits above deeply buried decomposing crust and facet layers near the bottom of the snowpack (100-150 cm deep). Avalanche activity on these layers has been sporadic and mostly triggered by large loads such as wind slab avalanches and cornice falls. Though unreactive under the current conditions, steep rocky slopes and shallow snowpacks should still be carefully assessed and approached with caution.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Watch your sluff: it may run faster and further than you expect.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.