Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 11th, 2025 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
Avalanche Canada,
Avalanche Canada
Choose mellow terrain, and give the recent snow time to settle and bond with the rest of the snowpack.
Weather has varied around the region, so verify conditions in your area.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
On Friday, northwest of Monkman Provincial Park, there was a widespread natural avalanche cycle up to size 3 in the overnight storm snow.
Also, 25-45 cm of heavy snow, storm slab avalanches, and wind loading was reported in the Hasler area, near Pine Pass.
Additionally, northwest of McBride, a small, remote triggered wind slab avalanche was reported, failing on surface hoar in north facing, treeline terrain.
Snowpack Summary
Moderate northwest winds may continue to form deeper, more reactive pockets of snow in leeward terrain.
40 to 60 cm of settling storm snow is resting on a mix of surfaces formed in late December or early January, including surface hoar, crusts, and facets. In some places these layers produced avalanches during the stormy period Thursday and Friday. It is possible that these layers cause upper snowpack avalanche problems to persist a bit longer than normal.
The middle and lower snowpack are generally strong and well settled.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with 2 cm of snow. Possible hotspots of 5 cm or more. 30 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Monday
Partly cloudy. 50 to 80 km/h west ridgetop wind. Possible temperature inversion above 1500 m. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 70 to 90 km/h west ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to 1500 m. Treeline temperature 0 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
- Choose simple, low-angle terrain without steep convex rolls.
- Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
- Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.
Problems
Storm Slabs
The recent snow will remain most reactive where it sits on weak layers buried in late December and early January. Expect deeper and more reactive slabs on leeward slopes.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 12th, 2025 4:00PM
