Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 25th, 2014–Jan 26th, 2014

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

Regions

South Rockies.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Sunday: Very light snowfall Sunday morning with some clearing by the afternoon / Light northerly winds / Freezing level at 900mMonday: Mainly clear skies / Light northerly winds / Freezing level at surfaceTuesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwest winds / Freezing level at surface

Avalanche Summary

On Friday solar heating triggered numerous loose wet avalanches on steep, south-facing alpine terrain. (thanks to Jason H for the observations!) No other recent activity was reported.

Snowpack Summary

Light amounts of new snow overlie a variety of surfaces which include old, stubborn wind slabs in exposed terrain or well developed surface hoar in sheltered areas. Sun-exposed slopes are now sporting a melt-freeze crust. The main concern in the region appears to be weak buried facet crystals. The facet layer, which exists in the mid or lower snowpack (depending where you are in the region), was responsible for some serious close calls last week. Although activity at this interface has tapered-off, this persistent problem has potential to re-awaken with warming forecast for the next few days. Other possible triggers for this layer include cornice fall, or a heavy load over a thin spot.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.