Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 5th, 2016 4:00PM

The alpine rating is low, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs.

grant statham, Parks Canada

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Dry sluffs are occurring in steep terrain. This is important for people who are skiing steep couloirs. Today we responded to one party who got knocked down a steep gully by a sluff avalanche from above. The snow is so dry it is sluffing easily.

Summary

Weather Forecast

Wednesday's weather will be the same as Tuesday's - overcast skies, no new snow, light winds and temps from -2 to -10. On Thursday an Arctic front crosses the area and we can expect up to 5cm of new snow. In the wake of the front, temps will fall and it looks like north winds and -20 for Friday. Check our weather stations for current conditions.

Snowpack Summary

The snowpack is well settled with few weaknesses. Sun crusts exist on steep S/SW aspects and large surface hoar is forming below 2000m. Isolated wind slabs exist in the alpine. Below 2000m, the Dec 3 layer of surface hoar and facets remains visible down 20-50 cm but is currently dormant. Thin areas are faceting out and weakening.

Avalanche Summary

No new slab avalanches today, but a party triggered a size 1.5 sluff avalanche in a steep gully. This relatively small avalanche gained speed, hit a party below and they tumbled down the couloir. A good example of a small avalanche having a big impact due to the committing nature of the terrain.

Confidence

Problems

Wind Slabs

There are still occasional (one or two per day) reports of small windslabs in some areas. Not big enough to bury someone, but certainty a problem if it pushed you into a terrain trap (gully or over a cliff).

Aspects: North, North East, East.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Jan 6th, 2016 4:00PM