Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Nov 23rd, 2015 8:50AM
The alpine rating is Storm Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
, the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems includeThere are still a lot of gaps in our knowledge about the early season snowpack. If you get out to enjoy some of the great early season riding please submit any observations from your day to the MIN.
Summary
Weather Forecast
Light snowfall accompanied by moderate SW winds should continue through early Tuesday morning. Very cold air descending from the Arctic will lead to clearing skies and cold temperatures for the next few days. For detailed mountain weather information visit avalanche.ca/weather
Avalanche Summary
We're working with very limited observations at the moment and we have not received any reports of recent avalanche activity.
Snowpack Summary
It sounds like people found some great bottomless riding conditions this weekend. Monday's storm snow is expected to bond well to the 50 to 80cm of low density snow that fell last week. Below this new snow we're still dealing with a variable early season snowpack. Changes in wind, freezing levels and snowfall amounts mean that the snowpack structure could be dramatically different depending on aspect and elevation. Layers of buried surface hoar or crusts may be found depending on where you dig. It would be wise to test these layers before committing to a slope. At higher elevations in the alpine, facets may be found near the ground, especially on north to east aspects. Remember that although it's starting to look like winter, its still a young snowpack. Rocks and stumps may be lurking unseen just below the surface. Ride with care!
Problems
Storm Slabs
New snow and wind have likely combined to form fresh wind slabs in wind exposed terrain at and above treeline. These wind slabs could be quite reactive, especially near ridge crest.
Avoid freshly wind loaded features.>Be cautious of sluffing, especially in terrain traps like creek bottoms which still feature running water.>
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
We're still dealing with a highly variable early season snowpack and several persistent weak layers have been reported from across the region including surface hoar, crusts and facets.
Early season hazards such as rocks, trees and stumps are lurking on or just under the surface>Be aware of thin areas that may propogate to deeper instabilites.>Now is a good time to dig a snow profile (or two) and figure out how the snowpack changes with aspect and elevation.>
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Nov 24th, 2015 2:00PM