Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2024–Jan 8th, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

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, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Small inputs providing incremental change will eventually bring a tipping point. This could be forecasted snow and strong to extreme winds late Monday or Tuesday. Storm snow has refreshed the ski quality, but early-season hazards still exist.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Lake Louise patrol reported one explosive controlled size 1.5 loose dry avalanche. Dry snow from cliffs hit the slope and entrained facets. The Visitor Safety field team reported very little avalanche activity except for one size 1 loose dry avalanche from some cliffs.

There was a skier accidental avalanche size 1.5 near the Lake Louise ski area yesterday. Little information is available other than what is written in the report.

Snowpack Summary

5-20 cm of storm snow and light wind have caused some sluffing and small wind slabs in exposed alpine and treeline areas. This new snow sits on a variety of surfaces (sun crusts, surface hoar, old wind slab) at treeline and above.

The mid-pack contains a couple of rain crusts which can be found as high as 2350 m in southern areas.

The base of the snowpack consists of a mix of weak facets and depth hoar.

Treeline snow depths range from 60-100 cm.

Weather Summary

The temperature is expected to be about -18 at the ridge and -12 in the valley on Mon. Little snow is expected, however, some light accumulations are expected on Tues (+/- 5cm). The wind will switch back to a westerly flow with increased velocity in the strong range on Mon. The wind is forecasted to be extreme on Tues.

For more information, click Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be cautious of sluffing.
Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
Avalanche hazard may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.

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.

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.