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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 5th, 2013–Jan 6th, 2013

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Weather Forecast

Mod NW alpine winds Sunday with a few cm possible West of the divide, but dry in the Eastern regions. Forecasts are currently calling for increasing winds Monday night/Tuesday into the strong - extreme range and light amounts of snow.  This may increase the overall hazard.

Snowpack Summary

Field trips in Kootenay and Hwy93 N. found surface hoar to 1cm up to treeline as well as surface facetting.  Some hard wind slabs in alpine areas are mainly unreactive.  Mid pack maintaining strength in deeper snow pack areas, but thin areas are mainly faceted, including the basal Nov 6 crust.

Avalanche Summary

A few small loose snow avalanches triggered by skiers in very steep terrain at treeline in the Kootenay region.  Some small loose snow avalanches also noted from steep features in the alpine on solar aspects from the last 24 hrs. All were maximum sz. 1

Confidence

on Sunday

Problems

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.

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.