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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 29th, 2023–Nov 30th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Early Season
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Early Season
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Be careful if venturing into deeper snowpack or wind-loaded pockets where denser snow sits over a weak base.

The snowpack remains very thin for this time of the year and Early Season Conditions persist.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported or observed on Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

Strong westerly winds have moved last weeks storm snow and blew away much of the surface hoar in the alpine. Generally, the snowpack is thin and wind-scoured with a thin suncrust on south and west aspects. The bottom of the snowpack consists of weak basal facets and a spotty melt-freeze crust from late October.

The snowpack is 30-50 cm deep at treeline with many areas still below threshold, and up to 90 cm in deeper alpine areas.

Weather Summary

Light flurries along the Eastern slopes Wednesday night with little to no accumulation. Winds will remain light and variable through Thursday with temperatures around -10C. . In the Northern region, a alpine inversion may set up, with slightly warmer temperatures up high, for the next few days.

For more weather forecast details, click here.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.