Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Feb 2 – 3, 2014Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Low danger doesn't mean no danger. See the "Forecast Details" tab for more info.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Thursdays wind slabs are growing old and tired. Increased ridge top winds Monday will likely result in touchy soft slabs on lee features.  This will be most problematic in the south where there is more snow available for wind transport.

Confidence

Fair - Wind effect is extremely variable

Weather Forecast

Synopsis: A very strong ridge of high pressure continues to dominate the weather pattern with no end in sight.Monday: Sky: Mix Sun/Cloud; Freezing Level: Valley Bottom; Precip: Nil Wind: Light, NE, Mod NE at ridgetop.Tuesday: Sky: Mix Sun/Cloud; Freezing Level: Valley Bottom; Precip: Nil Wind: Light, NEWednesday: Sky: Mix Sun/Cloud; Freezing Level: Valley Bottom; Precip: Nil Wind: Light, NE, Mod NE at ridgetop.

Avalanche Summary

Explosive control work on a steep north facing slope in the alpine produced a size 2.5 avalanche in the central portion of the region Saturday. Sounds like the bombardier was able to hit the sweet spot where the snowpack went from thick to thin at the top of the start zone.

Snowpack Summary

The south of the region saw slightly more more precipitation in the last system. Near Kimberley up to 20cm of snow now sits on a variety of old surfaces, this amount is closer to 10cm further north in the Dogtooth range. The old surface can be found as large surface hoar (widespread in most sheltered and shaded areas and at all elevations), a sun crust (on open south facing slopes), facets (in colder areas or areas with a thinner snowpack), or a combination of any of the above. North winds are redistributing the new snow reverse loading lee features in the alpine and forming reactive pockets of windslab up to 40cm deep.The upper and mid-snowpack are generally supportive to a riders weight and well settled.In isolated areas where the snowpack is thinner or in steep rocky features a facet/crust weakness near the ground remains a concern. In most places the depth of this layer combined with the strength of the overlying slab makes triggering an avalanche unlikely. However, if you were unlucky enough to find a weak spot the consequence could be a large, destructive avalanche.

Regions covered