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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 10th, 2015–Dec 11th, 2015

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Now is an excellent time to put your snow profile skills to work - the Dec 3 surface hoar layer is widespread below 1800 m. Dig down, look for this layer, and test it - this has the potential to become a tricky persistent slab avalanche problem.

Weather Forecast

The main storm pulse is now over for the Rockies, but expect Friday to be overcast with flurries and accumulations of a few centimeters. Temperatures will range from -4 to -10 and winds will be light to moderate from the west.

Snowpack Summary

50-70 cm of storm snow has fallen over the past 7 days, now settled into a cohesive slab overlying a significant weak layer of surface hoar below treeline (and just into treeline). We expect this layer to be widespread in the Little Yoho region below 1800 m. In the alpine, winds from the recent storm have left widespread windslabs.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche control at the Sunshine ski resort produced small slab avalanches in leeward areas, but otherwise no significant avalanches have been reported - keep in mind that backcountry observations have been very limited over the past week.

Confidence

Due to the number of field observations

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.

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.