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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 24th, 2023–Dec 25th, 2023

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

North Columbia, South Columbia, Jordan, North Selkirk, Shuswap, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, North Okanagan, Whatshan.

Avoid wind-loaded areas and keep in mind that a weak layer of surface hoar is still buried within the range for large human-triggered avalanches.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle occurred on Friday evening. Numerous large (size 2 to 3) storm and wind slabs were reported from the alpine and treeline on a variety of aspects.

Reactivity persisted on Saturday, with numerous size 1 to 2 skier-triggered wind slabs reported in the alpine and treeline. Check out this MIN for an example. A notable skier-triggered size 2 persistent slab occurred in the Selkirks east of Revelstoke on a northeast aspect in the alpine.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm snow has been redistributed into wind slab near ridge crests by strong south through to northwest winds. Below treeline a new crust is on or near the surface.

The mid pack contains several layers of note; a layer of surface hoar and a crust down 20 to 50 cm, a significant crust from the early December rain event down around 60 cm and a layer of surface hoar down 60 to 100 cm.

The make up of the lower snowpack is variable throughout the region but is generally not concerning at this time.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Clear periods with no new snow. South alpine wind, 20 to 50 km/h. Treeline temperature -8°C.

Monday

Cloudy with sunny periods, no new snow. South alpine wind, 30 to 60 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with snowfall, 1 to 10 cm of accumulation. South alpine wind, 25 to 60 km/h. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud, no new snow. Southeast alpine wind, 20 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

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.