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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 26th, 2023–Dec 27th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Seven Sisters, Howson, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Choose terrain that is sheltered from the wind for the best snow conditions, and lower avalanche danger. Due to shifting winds, human-triggerable wind slabs may be found on most aspects.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, near Smithers, a small (size 1) human triggered windslab avalanche was reported below a ridgetop in northeast facing, treeline terrain.

This MIN post paints a great picture of conditions at The Onion on Sunday.

If you head into the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the MIN (Mountain Information Network).

Snowpack Summary

Light snowfall continues to refresh the snow surface. Generally strong southerly winds building wind slabs in exposed leeward terrain. South facing slopes (windward), have likely been scoured by the strong winds. At lower elevations a frozen crust may be found in the upper snowpack.

Two different surface hoar layers have been reported in the upper snowpack (expected to be up to 50 cm deep) and appear to be most prominent at treeline and below.

Snowpack depths at treeline are 50 to 100 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow expected. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind switching to southeast by the morning. Freezing level falls to valley bottom with treeline low around -7 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow expected. Strong southeast wind. Freezing level rising to 500 m through the day. Treeline high around -2 °C.

Thursday

Partly cloudy, Trace of snow expected. Strong south ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to around 1500 m.

Friday

Mostly cloudy, Trace of snow expected. Strong southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 1500 m. Possible above freezing layer.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

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.