Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 1st, 2024 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Persistent Slabs and Deep Persistent Slabs.
isnowsell,
Avalanche Canada
Despite a decrease in avalanche hazard, the presence of multiple weak layers deep within the snowpack remains a cause for concern.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
A large (size 3), naturally triggered deep persistent slab avalanche in alpine terrain was reported Saturday. It occurred just north of Glacier National Park.
Have a look at this blog post that highlights several recent, similar large avalanches occurring on layers deep within the snowpack.
Snowpack Summary
The upper snowpack is generally well-settled and consolidated with no significant layers of concern.
A layer of surface hoar down roughly 50 to 90 cm remains problematic despite many recent signs of reactivity. A hard crust above this layer likely protects it from human-triggering at lower elevations.
Weak basal facets characterize the bottom of the snowpack.
Weather Summary
Monday night
Mostly cloudy with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature - 7 °C.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy with no precipitation, south alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -7 °C.
Wednesday
Cloudy with trace snow amounts, south alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with trace snow amounts, southwest alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
- Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
- Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
Problems
Persistent Slabs
A layer of surface hoar is down 50 to 90 cm; an ideal depth for large, human-triggered avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Deep Persistent Slabs
With basal facets, shallow snowpack areas are the most likely trigger points.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 2nd, 2024 4:00PM
