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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 10th, 2025–Jan 11th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday and Thursday our field team observed size 1-2 storm slab avalanches and experienced whumpfing - which is also a significant sign of instability. See photo below.

On Tuesday, they remotely triggered a large (size 2) storm slab near the Fraser Chutes, which stepped down to the persistent weak layer. Check out their MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

Since the start of the week, around 60 cm has accumulated in the alpine. Some of this new snow fell as rain Thursday night, with the rain/snow line around 1000 m. A new crust formed below that elevation.

By Saturday afternoon, up to 15 cm of snow is expected, with freezing levels near 700 m. Strong south-southwest winds have created deeper, reactive deposits on lee north-northeast slopes.

The storm snow rests on 20–30 cm of faceted old snow, which overlays a crust below 1700 m. Recent storm slabs have occasionally stepped down to this crust, triggering large avalanches.

We currently have no concerns with the remainder of the snowpack. Total snow depths range from about 100 to 180 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with 0 to 3 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with 0 to 13 cm of snow. The highest amounts will be near White Pass, with precipitation dissipating the further you go inland. 60 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 500 to 700 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 0 to 10 cm of snow. 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 600 m.

Monday

Cloudy with 0 to 7 cm of snow. 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 to 700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • It's critical to stay disciplined and stick to gentle, low consequence terrain.
  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.