Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 29th, 2025 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
Avalanche Canada,
Avalanche Canada
Conditions will remain dangerous after the storm. The new snow needs time to strengthen.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Wednesday's storm likely caused a natural avalanche cycle, particularly in wind-affected alpine terrain. Moving forward, triggering storm slabs will be the primary concern, especially on slopes where they bond poorly to underlying surface hoar or crusts.
Snowpack Summary
20 to 40 cm of snow fell on Wednesday, with southwest winds depositing more in lee areas. This new snow may bond poorly to underlying layers, which could include:
Large surface hoar crystals in sheltered spots at treeline and below
Crusts on solar slopes
Old wind-affected snow
A layer of surface hoar from early January is buried 20 to 40 cm deep, though it's uncertain whether this layer will persist.
100 to 200 cm deep in the snowpack are layers of crust, facets, and possibly surface hoar that were buried in December.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Thursday
Sunny. 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and cloud. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.
- Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
- Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.
Problems
Storm Slabs
20 to 40 cm of fresh snow may bond slowly to underlying layers. Storm slabs could be extra deep and reactive on wind-loaded features.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
The 100 to 200 cm deep weak layer from early December is becoming difficult to trigger.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 30th, 2025 4:00PM
