Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 4th, 2013 8:43AM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
ccampbell,
Avalanche Canada
Please help support this bulletin by sending your observations to forecaster@avalanche.ca.
Summary
Confidence
Poor - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Thursday: Mainly sunny. Treeline temperatures should hover between -5 and -10 and Alpine winds remain moderate to strong from the North. Friday and Saturday: Mainly sunny. Temperatures could drop slightly and northerly outflow winds continue.
Avalanche Summary
Recent observations near Shames include a few natural wind slab avalanche up to Size 3 in steep lee and cross-loaded terrain from northerly outflow winds.
Snowpack Summary
Around 40 cm of recent storm snow may still need some time to bond to the previous snow surface, especially where it sits on a crust. In the Shames area on Sunday a layer of preserved stellars were giving easy to moderate but sudden planar compression test results. Northerly outflow winds are forming fresh wind slabs in exposed lee terrain and scouring windward terrain. Below approximately 1000m surface hoar is growing on sheltered slopes, while surface snow on steep sun-exposed slopes is becoming moist with daytime warming. Average snowpack depths near treeline are around a metre with the bottom half being a crust.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Outflow winds are reverse-loading and cross-loading exposed slopes. Fresh and touchy wind slabs are likely lurking below ridge crests and behind terrain features.
Avoid freshly wind loaded features.>Avoid travelling in areas that have been reverse loaded by winds.>Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.>
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 5th, 2013 2:00PM
