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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 30th, 2022–Jan 31st, 2022

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal.

 Carefully assess wind effected terrain before committing to a feature. Rider triggerable wind slab can still be found near ridge crests and steep roll overs. 

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Sunday night: light flurries with light winds. Low of -8 at 900m.

Monday: light flurries throughout the day. Light to moderate west winds with a high of -3 at 900m.

Tuesday: some light flurries with a high of -5 at 900m. Light winds from the north.

Wednesday: up to 10cm of new snow with moderate to strong southwest winds. High of -5 at 900m.

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday explosives triggered two size 2 avalanches in the north part of the forecast region where snowfall amounts were greater during the recent storm. No notable avalanches have been reported in the Shames area in a few days.

On Friday a very large (size 3) wind slab was triggered by a natural cornice fall. This avalanche was on a north east aspect at 1700m.

Snowpack Summary

up to 20cm of recent storm snow overlies a variety of surfaces including surface hoar, facets and a crust. A melt freeze crust caps most of the terrain at or below treeline as well as south facing terrain in the alpine. Surface hoar can be found in isolated sheltered features at treeline.

The January 19th surface hoar layer can still be found down 30 to 50 at treeline and above in sheltered terrain. Recent reports indicate that it is becoming less of a concern. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

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.