Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 2nd, 2024 4:00PM

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

Avalanche Canada bchristie, Avalanche Canada

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Thin wind slabs may be found on lee features in the alpine.

Before committing to your line, consider the consequence of any fall. Barely buried early season hazards remain.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported.

If you head into the backcountry by any method of travel, please consider submitting observations and/or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Freezing levels vary widely across this forecast area, so expect a mix of wet snow, frozen crusts, and dry snow on the surface, depending on elevation.

In general: 10-15 cm of settling snow may be found over a frozen crust, which overlies 15-25 cm of moist snow. This shows a good bond to the well-settled snowpack, containing several melt-freeze crusts.

Overall, the snow depth remains shallow between 70 and 100 cm, and early-season hazards are prevalent at 1400 m and below.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy. 5 cm of snow expected above 1000 m west of Hope, light flurries to the east. Light southeast through southwest ridgetop wind. treeline temperature around -2 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy. Light snow above 1000 m. Light southwest ridgetop wind, increasing to moderate by the end of the day. Treeline temperature around -3 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy. 5-10 cm of snow expected above 1000 m. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -4 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 5-15 cm of snow expected above 500 m. Strong southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.

Problems

Wind Slabs

An icon showing Wind Slabs

Small isolated pockets of wind slab may be found on lee terrain features at uppermost elevations. Uncertainty remains on how well these slabs are bonding to the old surface.

Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size

1 - 1.5

Valid until: Jan 3rd, 2024 4:00PM