Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 15th, 2023 4:00PM

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

dsaly, Avalanche Canada

South Rockies, Bull, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Continue to practice good travel habits: regroup in safe locations, limit the number of people exposed to avalanche terrain, and be suspicious of shallow or rocky ridges and start zones.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in the region.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

High freezing levels over the weekend produced moist surface snow up to 2000 m, now a crust. Wind has stripped open and alpine terrain and there is little snow left for transport.

Snowpack testing from our field team indicates the snowpack is gaining strength. A facet/crust layer from mid-December is down 40-70 cm (and 2 cm thick at TL elevation), below the mid-pack is settled and consolidated.

The basal snowpack, or bottom 20-40 cm, consists of facetted grains and is associated with the deep persistent avalanche problem. Treeline snow depths are roughly 120-160 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Cloudy with isolated flurries, up to 5 cm. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline low temperature below -6 C. Freezing level falling to valley bottom.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature -3 C. Freezing level below 1100 m.

Tuesday

Sunny breaks. Light southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline high temperatures -4 C. Freezing level below 1000 m.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy. Increasing ridgetop winds. Treeline high temperatures -6 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Weak, faceted grains make up the basal snowpack. Triggering an avalanche this deep will likely be large and destructive. Be especially suspicious of shallow or cross-loaded areas with variable snow depths.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Unlikely

Expected Size

2 - 3

Valid until: Jan 16th, 2023 4:00PM