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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 24th, 2014–Nov 25th, 2014

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

The hazard in steep alpine gullies near the divide has increased to Moderate. Areas with less snow and wind remain Low.

This is a good time to re familiarize yourself with the danger ratings and what types of avalanches are expected at each level.

Weather Forecast

Tuesday looks like a pretty nice day with a few flurries and light winds. The snow is expected to begin on Wednesday and continue through the next couple days with significant amounts being forecast along with moderate to strong SW winds. The avalanche hazard will quickly increase when this arrives.

Snowpack Summary

Below tree line there is not enough snow for avalanches. Above 1900m a buried rain crust that formed in early November lies 20-40cm above the ground. This along with surface hoar in some areas is being buried by light snow and will create a good sliding layer as the new snow accumulates. Some lee slopes near the divide have thin wind slabs.

Avalanche Summary

A few small skier triggered avalanches have been reported in the last several days. Most of the failure have been in steep wind loaded terrain. Large sluffs were observed today on steep NE aspects near the divide on the Icefields parkway. These were big enough to push a climber off of a cliff or into a terrain trap.

Confidence

Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Wednesday

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.