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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 10th, 2013–Dec 11th, 2013

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

Jasper.

Early season hazards lurk just below the surface. Ski cautiously. If winds arrive, expect increased avalanche potential.

Weather Forecast

Expect 2-4 cm Tuesday night with continued flurries through the week. Winds may increase Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures will remain seasonal but may warm significantly on the weekend. 

Snowpack Summary

Variable wind slab on lee features at treeline and alpine elevations. Variable snowpack depths with pockets up to 1m deep. October rain crust is sporadically distributed but forecasters are still investigating this condition. Recent North winds are loading South aspects.

Avalanche Summary

Patrol on Tuesday observed two avalanches 24 hours old. Size 2-2.5 at 2800m crossloaded SE to S aspect feature on what appears to be the Oct raincrust 40-50cm down. Suspect solar trigger.

Confidence

Problems

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.

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.