Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 16th, 2021 3:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
matt,
Avalanche Canada
Hard to believe its only mid-December! Excellent coverage and a mostly stable snowpack is a rare, but appreciated combo for us Rockies folks. Its easy to find good skiing, but keep your head in the avalanche game.
Summary
Confidence
High -
Weather Forecast
Overnight low of -22, with things quickly warming up to -14 around noon tomorrow. Cold, but not too bad. So far most models are saying blue skies for tomorrow, which will make for a great day. What would make the day even better you ask? Well, glad you asked. How about very light winds from the west, 'cause that's what's forecast! Overall a pretty nice day on Friday.
Avalanche Summary
Nothing new.
Snowpack Summary
We have 60-80cm on top of the Dec 1 crust. Generally this surface snow and it's bond is stable and predictable. However there is a thin wind slab/interface down about 40cm that catches our attention. Its not that troubling yet, but knowing that the Dec 1 crust is slowly faceting does earn that layer some respect. Aside from that, things are still pretty good. We probed 185cm near the top of Hero's Knob today. Impressive for the best of times, let alone mid-december. There's also some isolated surface wind affect near ridges as you'd expect and well settled snow in more open terrain.
Terrain and Travel
- Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
- Avoid steep, unsupported slopes.
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Problems
Wind Slabs
These can be found near exposed ridges and at the entrances to gullies. Steep convex rolls still demand some respect.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 17th, 2021 3:00PM
