Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Dec 8th, 2014 8:06AM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is moderate, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Storm Slabs and Persistent Slabs.

Parks Canada jon schleiss, Parks Canada

Today is a transitional period for the weather as the approaching front will bring increasing temperatures with moderate to heavy amounts of precipitation. This will cause avalanche hazard to increase.

Summary

Weather Forecast

Significant temperature increase over the next 36 hours, freezing level up to 1800m later today and up to 2000m or higher on Tuesday. Moderate to heavy amounts of precipitation expected, possibly falling as rain.

Snowpack Summary

15-20cm of recent storm snow is over the Dec 5 surface hoar/facet layer and sun crust on steep solar aspects. This new snow sits over a breakable crust below 1600m. The Nov 21 and Nov 9 persistent weak layers are buried down ~100 and ~130cm. Snowpack tests indicate triggering the Nov 21 layer as less likely but fracture character is sudden planar.

Avalanche Summary

Small avalanches running to the beginning of runouts.

Confidence

Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain

Problems

Storm Slabs

An icon showing Storm Slabs
Recent storm snow may be sitting on good sliding surfaces such as surface hoar and crust.  Watch for small pockets of slab reactive on steep solar aspects. Expect increasing hazard as the temperature rises.
Watch for clues, like sluffing off of cliffs, that the snowpack is warming up. Plan to be off big slopes before the temperatures rises and the snowpack deteriorates.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Persistent Slabs

An icon showing Persistent Slabs
Trigger points for the persistent weak layers buried down ~1m and ~1.3m include steep alpine terrain, thin areas, and unsupported open slopes.
Be aware of thin areas that may propogate to deeper instabilites.Sluffs may trigger deeper instabilities.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size

2 - 3

Valid until: Dec 9th, 2014 8:00AM