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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 12th, 2024–Mar 13th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Use caution as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

Pockets of lingering wind slabs may still surprise riders.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported recently, but whumpfs were noticed Sunday at treeline on a north-east slope near Fraser Peak. This failure layer is suspected to be the buried surface hoar layer that produced some isolated but surprising avalanches last Wednesday.

Field observations have been limited, if you're out in the backcountry, please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of snow covers old, firm, wind-affected or crusty surfaces. Deeper deposits may exist on lee slopes. Pockets of hard wind slabs, that may not bond well to the old surface, still linger in alpine terrain.In isolated areas, buried surface hoar may be found 20 to 40 cm deep. Below 1500 m, a thick melt-freeze crust is buried 50 to 100 cm deep. The mid-pack is generally strong and bridges the weak crystals at the base of the snowpack.

The average snowpack depth at treeline is around 200 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 3 to 5 cm of new snow expected. 40 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -12 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 5 cm of new snow expected, plus 10 cm overnight. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -6 °C

Thursday

Cloudy with 10-15 cm of new snow expected. 50 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -1 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with no precipitation. cm of new snow expected. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.