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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 21st, 2023–Jan 22nd, 2023

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

Regions

North Rockies, McGregor, Pine Pass.

Make conservative terrain choices and give the storm snow time to heal. Back off sun exposed slopes if you notice the snow getting moist.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in the past few days in the region but observations are limited.

If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

New storm and wind slabs exist at all elevations. the largest slabs will be found on West, north and east aspects. The snow surface will likely become moist on sun exposed slopes.

Snowpack depths are shallower than normal and several crust/facet layers exist throughout the snowpack. The most concerning is a weak layer of facets buried in November and found near the bottom of the snowpack.

Recent observations suggest the buried weak layers are gaining strength, but not enough to trust them in high consequence terrain.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with around 5cm of new snow. Light to moderate west winds and a low of -8 at 1500m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud with the possibility of light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Light to moderate westerly winds and a high of -6 at 1500m.

Monday

Stormy with up to 15cm of new snow expected. Strong to extreme westerly winds and a high of -3 at 1500m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 5 to 10cm of new snow expected. Strong westerly winds and freezing levels rising to 1400m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
  • Avoid being on or under sun exposed slopes.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

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.