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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 22nd, 2025–Jan 23rd, 2025

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Purcells, Dogtooth, East Purcell, West Purcell.

Seek out terrain sheltered from the wind for the softest snow and the lowest avalanche danger.

Use caution in wind-affected terrain and avoid steep, rocky slopes with shallow snow cover.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, near Bugaboo Provincial Park, a large (size 3), explosive triggered deep persistent slab avalanche was reported in south facing alpine terrain. Other explosives in similar terrain produced smaller results.

Also, southwest of Golden, very small rider triggered wind slabs were reported, plus one small (size 1.5) naturally triggered slab on a northeast aspect.

If you venture into the backcountry, please consider submitting your observations to the MIN.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find wind-affected surfaces in exposed treeline terrain and above.

With very little recent snowfall, fresh wind slab formation has been minimal. Small pockets may be reactive in isolated areas, particularly where they sit atop a layer of surface hoar or facets from early January, 20–40 cm deep.

Sheltered areas still have soft snow and good riding.

A persistent weak layer of facets buried in early December is on average 60 to 90 cm deep. Near Invermere, this layer may only be buried 30 cm.

The snowpack base consists of a thick crust and facets or depth hoar in many areas.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Thursday

Partly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Friday

Sunny. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Saturday

Sunny. 15 to 30 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.

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.