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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2021–Apr 3rd, 2021

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Purcells.

High elevation north aspects hold the best snow but are also the most likely place to encounter wind slabs. Be ready to back off slopes as warm temperatures moisten and weaken the upper snowpack. Check out our latest blog post on managing these not-quite-yet-spring conditions.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Friday night: Partly cloudy. Light to moderate southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -2. Freezing levels dropping to 800 m in the north and holding at 2000 m in the south.

Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light to moderate southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around 0. Freezing levels to 2200 m.

Sunday: 5-15 cm new snow arriving overnight around Golden and during the day farther south. Light southwest wind shifting northwest over the day. Alpine high temperatures around -5. Freezing level 1700 m.

Monday: Sunny. Light to moderate west wind. Alpine high temperatures around -2. Freezing level 2000 m.

Avalanche Summary

A natural size 3 was reported on Thursday in the Dogtooth range. It was on a southeast aspect in the alpine and is suspected to have solar-triggered and run on the crust buried in mid-March. Cornices were noted to be reactive but were not observed to trigger slabs on slopes below.

Reports from Wednesday showed a trend of small (size 1) wet loose point releases from steep solar aspects. Explosives control in the Golden area produced several small (size 1) wind slab releases from north through east facing ridgetop features. Minimal propagation was noted in these results.

On Monday, numerous skier and explosive triggered storm slab avalanches were reported size 1-1.5, largely on NW aspects. By Tuesday, storm slabs became more stubborn to explosives and results were limited. Observations in the Hellroaring area, which received less snow, include a few size 1 wind slabs and a cornice-triggered size 1.5.

Snowpack Summary

Surface melt-freeze crusts exist on solar aspects and below about 2000 metres. Above this elevation, 15-40 cm of recent snow has otherwise seen some redistribution by southwest to northwest wind, and seems to be bonding well with underlying surfaces.

A widespread crust layer from the mid-March warm spell can be found 30-60 cm deep, and small surface hoar has been observed at this depth on some isolated north-facing slopes. Reports suggest the snow is generally well bonded to these layers but isolated instances of large solar-triggered slab avalanches running on the crust have been observed. Deeper layers are strong and have been unreactive over the past few weeks.

Terrain and Travel

  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
  • Extra caution is needed around cornices under the current conditions.
  • Avoid steep slopes when air temperatures are warm, or solar radiation is strong.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.