Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West, Yukon.
Heightened avalanche conditions exist on wind-loaded terrain features where a cohesive slab has formed over a crust. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully.
Confidence
Low
Avalanche Summary
On Tuesday, our field team observed a natural size 2 slab avalanche on a north aspect at 1100m. The slab was 20-30 cm deep and failed on the facets above the crust.
If you head out in the mountains, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
20 to 30 cm of facetted snow sits over a crust. In the Powder Valley, surface hoar was observed sitting over the crust in a recent MIN report.
Despite the presence of faceted grains in the lower snowpack, there are no layers of concern below the crust. Snowpack depths range from about 70 to 180 cm.
Weather Summary
Tuesday night
Clear. 30 to 50 km/h east winds. Mild inversion developing; treeline temperature -15 °C.
Wednesday
Sunny. 40 to 60 km/h east winds. Inversion; alpine temperature -10°C, valley bottom -20 °C.
Thursday
Sunny. Outflows easing 40 to 20 km/h. Inversion; alpine temperature -12°C, valley bottom -23 °C.
Friday
Mostly sunny. 10 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Inversion; alpine temperature -15°C, valley bottom -25 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
- Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Watch for pockets of fresh wind slab in atypical terrain features (think southwest aspects instead of northeast). Older wind slabs may remain triggerable where they sit over facets on a crust.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5