Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 10th, 2015 8:26AM

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

Avalanche Canada bcorrigan, Avalanche Canada

Light snow is forecast for the next two days. If more significant snowfall occurs, be on the lookout for wind slab formation at treeline and above.

Summary

Confidence

Good - Wind effect is extremely variable

Weather Forecast

No major weather systems in sight for the near future, but flurries at higher elevations and wet snow or rain at lower elevations is possible in the next 48 hrs. The next pacific storm system is forecast for late Thursday of Friday.

Avalanche Summary

In general, avalanche activity has tapered-off dramatically. However, an anomalous size 2 slab avalanche was skier triggered on Thursday on a steep, north-facing alpine slope. The exact failure plane is not known, although the depth of the crown (50-200cm) suggest it may have been a persistent weakness.Skier triggering of deeper weaknesses will remain unlikely, especially with forecast cooling; although small wind slabs are possible with light snowfall forecast for the weekend.

Snowpack Summary

A thick supportive surface crust is capping the snowpack. Below the crust is the recent storm snow which is around 50-70cm deep and sits on a previously variable snow surface that included wind affected surfaces, a freezing rain crust or sun crust, and/or surface hoar or sugary facets in sheltered terrain. In the middle of the snowpack you might find the mid-December surface hoar or crust/facet weak layers. These are now typically buried at least 100cm below the surface. The old surface hoar layer may be found in sheltered shady areas at and below treeline, while the slightly deeper crust/facet layer is expected to be more widespread but also more variable.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

An icon showing Persistent Slabs
No reports yesterday of avalanches, but a skier accidental 2 days ago reminds us that isolated thin snowpack areas may still pose a hazard.
Avoid steep convexities.>Be aware of thin areas where human-triggering may be possible and may propagate to deeper instabilities.>

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Unlikely

Expected Size

3 - 5

Valid until: Jan 11th, 2015 2:00PM