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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 24th, 2023–Jan 25th, 2023

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Watch for windslabs in the alpine. The upper snowpack is slowly becoming more supportive and allowing for better travel, however, the lower snowpack remains weak and unsupported. Conservative terrain choices are still a good idea.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Sunshine ski hill reported some small skiier controlled avalanches in windloaded treeline terrain but otherwise no new avalanches observed or reported by sunshine, lake louise and Parks Canada forecasters in the Yoho Valley.

Snowpack Summary

Recent moderate to strong winds have created windslabs in the alpine. Some suncrust exists on steep solar at treeline and below. Below this, the upper snowpack contains weak layers at 10-30 cm deep (Jan. 4th) and 25-50 cm deep (Dec. 17th) that are generally not reactive. The Nov 16 deep persistent layer is down 40-90 cm and continues to produce sudden failures in snowpack tests. In areas west of the divide, these layers are generally deeper and more spread apart in the snowpack.

Weather Summary

A NW flow will bring windy conditions with broken skies and light flurries on Wednesday and Thursday. A cold front followed by an upslope and arctic air arrives on Friday.

Wed: Alpine winds strong from the NW. High temp ~ -4, low -12

Thurs: Alpine winds extreme from the NW. High temp ~ -4, low -8

Fri: 5-10 cm. Alpine winds light to moderate and switching to NW. Temps cooling to -15

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

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.