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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 14th, 2023–Dec 15th, 2023

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

Regions

North Rockies, Sugarbowl, Kakwa, McGregor, Renshaw, Robson.

Recent storm snow and buried weak layers may be primed for human triggering.

Avalanche danger will rise with new snow and wind Friday afternoon into Saturday.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche reports were submitted on Wednesday.

If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Strong to extreme winds have likely stripped available snow from south and west-facing slopes, redistributing it onto north and east-facing terrain features. A new surface crust may extend up into treeline and possibly some alpine areas. New snow expected Friday night may have a poor bond to these firm surfaces.

A concerning layer of surface hoar can be found around 30-50 cm deep.

A crust with sugary facets beneath it can be found just above the ground. The snowpack is still shallow for this time of year. Average snowpack depths at treeline range from 65 to 90 cm.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mostly clear skies. Ridgetop wind 20-40 km/h from the south and temperatures near -8 C. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Friday

Cloudy with snow starting midday for the 24 hour period. Ridgetop wind 40 to 70 km/h and temperatures near -7 C. Freezing levels 1000 m.

Saturday

New snow, 20-30 cm by the afternoon. Ridgetop winds 40-65 km/h from the west. Freezing levels rise to 1500m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with sunny periods. Ridgetop wind 30-45 km/h from the west and temperatures near -5 C. Freezing levels valley bottom.

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.
  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to the presence of buried surface hoar.

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.