Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 22nd, 2022 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
trettie,
Avalanche Canada
assess all exposed slopes for wind slab before committing to your line. Winds have varied in direction in the past couple days.
Summary
Confidence
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been observed in the past few days.
If you are heading into the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.
Snowpack Summary
Variable winds have redistributed recent snow into wind slabs on all aspects. On south facing slopes wind slab could have formed over a sun crust. A layer of surface hoar down around 30cm can be found in sheltered terrain on all aspects up to 2000m, This layer could be a concern where wind slabs form above.
A weak layer consisting of facets and a crust formed in November is now buried around 60cm deep.
In general, the snowpack is quite faceted with average snowpack depths of around 150cm at treeline.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
light flurries possible bringing trace amounts of new snow . Increasing westerly winds and a Low of -24 at 1800m.
Friday
Cloudy with up to 5cm of new snow expected. Westerly winds increasing to extreme at ridge top. High of -14 at 1800m.
Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of new snow expected. Moderate west winds becoming extreme southwest in the afternoon. A high of -4 at 1800m. Freezing levels rising to 1400m.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with light flurries bringing a few centimeters of new snow. Moderate to strong west wind. Freezing levels rising to 1200m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Variable winds will likely have formed wind slab on all aspects at treeline and above. On south facing terrain these wind slabs could sit over a thin sun crust. On other aspects new wind slabs are likely to form on a layer of facets or surface hoar in sheltered terrain. Triggering a wind slab over surface hoar, facets or a crust could result in a larger avalanche.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 23rd, 2022 4:00PM
