Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 16th, 2024 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
IG,
Avalanche Canada
A change in the weather pattern means the deep freeze is ending! Storms will bring snow and wind to Roger's Pass, creating a fresh stormslab.
The temperatures are still forecast to be chilly, ensure you have emergency clothing layers and a good time buffer to be back at the car before dark
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Natural activity during the cold snap has been limited to loose/dry and wind slabs in Rogers Pass.
Yesterday there was a skier triggered avalanche on Cheops on a steep west aspect. This was a windslab on top of a crust and ran for approximately 200m.
Bruins Ridge saw a sz 2 wind slab fail on a SW aspect, most likely on the underlying suncrust.
Several thin sz 1-2 hard slabs were observed on Christiana Ridge and Fidelity Mtn.
*All noted avalanches failed on a suncrust.
Snowpack Summary
Moderate winds (S/SW switching to N/NE) have redistributed 40-50cms of snow into variable soft to hard surface slabs. These sit upon a sun crust on solar aspects, firm wind effect in the alpine, and soft facetted snow on sheltered N aspects.
Below 2100m there is a crust down 70-80cm (from Dec 5th/6th).
The Dec 1 surface hoar layer is down 90-120cm and is decomposing. However, it is still reactive in isolated snowpack tests.
Weather Summary
The Arctic air will be pushed out by a series of storms. We'll see modest snowfall amounts but thankfully temperatures will warm up abit!
Tonight: flurries amounting to 4cm, Alp low -15°C, light south winds.
Wed: Flurries (6 cm), Alp high -15°C, light E wind.
Thurs: mix of sun/cloud/flurries, trace snow, Alp high -13°C, wind: SE 20km/hr.
Friday: Flurries(9cms), trace amount of snow, Alp high -7°C, light ridge wind.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Fresh snow with wind has created a new storm slab problem. North winds and valley bottom gap winds have created slabs in non-typical places, heads up! Expect the new slab to be most reactive on south and west aspects where buried crusts exist.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 17th, 2024 4:00PM
