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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 24th, 2013–Dec 25th, 2013

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

Regions

Sea To Sky.

Confidence

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Thursday

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with flurries / Moderate westerly winds / Freezing level at 1100mThursday: Light to moderate snowfall / Moderate southwesterly winds / Freezing levels at 1600mFriday: Flurries / Light ridgetop winds / Freezing level at 1200mSpecial Notice: Our radar has just picked-up what appears to be a flying sleigh. Our forecasters believe the sleigh belongs to Santa as it is being pulled by at least 8 reindeer. The sleigh is located in the far north of the province at the 2000m elevation and is currently headed south. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Avalanche Summary

Touchy small windslabs were reported to have been ski cut on Monday. They formed in the immediate lee of ridge crests and reportedly had little propagation. No other avalanches were reported.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall amounts have been highly variable throughout the region with southern areas receiving as much as 25cm throughout Sunday. Strong southwest winds have created pockets of wind slab which have most likely gained significant strength. Roughly 20-45cm below the surface you may find a variety of old surfaces which formed during the early December cold snap. These surfaces include sugary faceted snow (which may overlie a crust in some areas), spotty surface hoar in sheltered terrain, and hard wind slab on south-facing alpine terrain. In most places the more recent snow seems to be well bonded to this interface, but the crust/facet combo was reported to be reactive to skier triggering in the Callaghan/Tricouni area.Snowpack depths vary greatly across the region, but are significantly lower than average for this time of year. Terrain below treeline is still mostly below threshold for avalanche activity. Early season riding hazards such as rocks, stumps and logs are lurking below the surface in many areas. In glaciated terrain new snow on the surface might be just enough to hide open crevasses where supportive snow bridges have not yet developed.

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.