Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 19th, 2016 4:32PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
mbender,
Avalanche Canada
Continued snowfall and strong winds will keep the avalanche danger elevated through the forecast period
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Flurries with periods of snow, accumulation 10-15cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -4 Wednesday: Snow, accumulation 10-20cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -6 Thursday: Periods of snow, accumulation 10-20cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -5
Avalanche Summary
Expect avalanche activity to stay on the rise with continued new snowfall accumulating Monday night through into Tuesday combined with moderate to strong wind and warming temperatures.
Snowpack Summary
30-50cm of new snow overlies the previous variable snow surface from last week, which includes hard wind pressed or scoured areas, old wind slabs, weak faceted snow, or surface hoar. Moderate to strong southwest wind has redistributed this new snow to form windslabs in the lee of terrain features in the alpine and treeline. The widespread mid-November crust is typically down 1-2m in the snowpack. Recent snowpack and explosive tests have shown the crust to be unreactive, but it could remain a problem in shallow alpine start zones.
Problems
Storm Slabs
New snow combined with moderate to strong southwest winds have created slabs on top of a variety of potential weak sliding layers.
Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.Minimize exposure during periods of heavy loading from new snow and/or wind.Avoid exposure to terrain traps where the consequences of a small avalanche could be serious.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 20th, 2016 2:00PM
