Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 6th, 2023 1:15PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Deep Persistent Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
mkoppang,
Avalanche Canada
Warm temps are helping to settle our current snowpack but its going to take a long time before we have any confidence in it. Expect to be wallowing in facets at lower elevations up to treeline as the snowpack is weak. The deep persistent problems are hard to predict and can have big consequences if triggered.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Avalanche Control on Friday surprisingly produced minimal results which gave forecasters an uneasy feeling that this is a complex tricky snowpack.
Snowpack Summary
Large surface hoar was found today up to 2200m. This may be a layer to watch in the future.
Otherwise not much is changing in the snowpack (and that's not a good thing!). The mid-December surface hoar layer down 30cm at Treeline is reacting as a persistent slab with compression tests in the moderate range. Below this, the remainder of the snowpack is heavily facetted. Any avalanche triggered in the upper snowpack will almost certainly step down to the ground.
Forecasters are approaching all terrain conservatively and do not have much confidence in the snow pack, as it's one of the worst we've seen in many, many years.
Weather Summary
One day i will get to write in here "Up to 20cm" but unfortunately, that wont be today, or tomorrow.... or for a while.
Ridge of surface high pressure dominates over the Continental Divide. Mix of sun and cloud. Southwest ridgetop around 50 to 60 km/hin the KC region. Gusts up to 70 km/h through valley gaps across the Rockies in the morning east of the high pressure ridge. Freezing levels at valley bottom. Alpine temperatures near -5°C to -10°C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
- Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
- If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
This layer is easy to trigger from thin, weak shallow areas.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
If triggered the persistent slab is very likely to steep down to the deeper instability and involve the entire winter's snowpack.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 7th, 2023 4:00PM
