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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 6th, 2025–Jan 7th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Fresh wind slabs are expected to build on Tuesday.Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, a few small size 1 loose and slab avalanches were reported in the Babines. These were likely triggered by sun exposure and warming, as they all occurred on south-facing slopes. Since the middle of last week, no other avalanches have been reported, though recent observations have been very limited.

Snowpack Summary

2 to 10 cm of new snow is expected to fall Tuesday, accompanied by extreme southwesterly ridgetop wind. This new snow may cover a thin sun crust on south and westerly slopes, and otherwise add to the 10 to 20 cm of recent snowfall elsewhere.

We expect reactive new wind slabs to develop throughout Tuesday on leeward north through east-facing slopes brought on by the new snow and wind.

A noticeable persistent weak layer is buried 40 to 80 cm. This layer is made of weak facets overlying a crust. With additional new snow and wind-loading throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday, we expect this layer may become more reactive.

The remainder of the snowpack is well-settled and bonded.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Partly cloudy. 60 to 75 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 2 to 10 cm of snow. 75 to 95 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Wednesday

Overnight moderate snowfall: 5 to 20 cm snow by morning. Mix of sun and cloud daytime. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with 2 to 8 cm of snow. 70 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.