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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 14th, 2023–Dec 15th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

The presence of buried surface hoar layers has created a challenging snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few natural wind slab avalanches, size 1 to 2, were reported yesterday in the Telkwa Range.

If you do go into the backcountry, consider submitting a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

Widespread wind-affected surfaces exist at higher elevations with roughly 30 cm of recent snow that has been redistributed by strong southwest alpine winds.

Two different surface hoar layers have been reported in the upper half of the snowpack and appear to be most prominent at treeline and below.

In general, the snowpack is still shallow for this time of year with snowpack depths at treeline ranging from 50 to 100 cm. Early season hazards are still a concern.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mostly clear with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -12°C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with a trace of new snow possible, southwest alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday

Sunny with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow, southwest alpine winds 40 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.