Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 4th, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
wlewis,
Avalanche Canada
Watch for wind slabs forming over the day as southerly winds increase. Small avalanches may step down to deeper weak layers in the snowpack.
Stay cautious of areas where the snowpack depth changes rapidly, such as thin and rocky start zones.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanche activity has been reported in the region. However, there have been a number of reports of spooky stability test results recently.
Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
Roughly 30 to 60 cm of low-density snow overlies a generally weak, facetted snowpack with multiple buried weak layers. As southerly winds increase expect wind slabs to build in north facing terrain. New wind slabs may sit over a layer of reactive surface hoar and or crust.
Two layers of concern exist in this snowpack. A layer of facets, crust and surface hoar was buried around Christmas, around 30 to 60cm from the surface. And a layer of large, weak facets near the bottom of the snowpack, buried in November.
Snowpack depths are roughly 100 to 175 cm at treeline.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Clear skies with no snowfall expected. Winds remain light from the south. Freezing level below valley bottom.
Thursday
Cloud increasing over the day. Moderate to strong southwest winds. No snowfall expected. Alpine highs around -5 °C. An above freezing layer around 2000 m is expected in far eastern terrain such as Kakwa.
Friday
Cloudy with flurries delivers up to 2 cm. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Freezing levels rise to 1500m. Alpine high of -2°C.
Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud with moderate southwest winds. Freezing levels rise to 1000 m over the day. No snowfall expected.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Pay attention to the wind, once it starts to blow fresh sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
- Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
- Be especially cautious near rock outcroppings, on steep convexities and anywhere the snowpack feels thinner than average.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Low density snow on the surface is available for southerly winds to redistribute into pockets of wind slab in north facing terrain.
Small avalanches in wind loaded features have the potential to step down to deeper weak layers creating larger then expected avalanches.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
The mid and lower snowpack is generally weak, facetted and contains multiple buried weak layers. A layer of crust, facets and/or surface hoar buried 30-60 cm deep continues to produce test results that indicate reactivity.
Avalanches may be larger than you expect due to the depth of buried weak layers.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 5th, 2023 4:00PM
