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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2022–Jan 8th, 2022

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

15 to 30+ cm of new snow with increasing wind has bumped the hazard up over the last 24 hrs. This was more snow than expected, so depending on what happens with the weather overnight we could see a period of HIGH hazard in the alpine on Sunday.

Weather Forecast

The precipitation should slow Friday night as a ridge starts to build into the area. Temperatures will fall into the -15 to -25 C range at treeline on Saturday with some flurries expected during the day. Alpine winds will increase into the moderate to strong range and stay that way through the day.

Snowpack Summary

15-30+ cm new snow with winds increasing to strong out of the S-SW on Friday. Wind slabs building at treeline and in alpine areas as that loose snow gets blown around. These slabs may bond poorly to the underlying facets from the cold snap. The Dec 2 crust/facet interface is down 60-100 cm, and the snowpack is very faceted in shallower areas.

Avalanche Summary

Size 1-2 loose dry and wind slab avalanches were reported by local ski areas on Friday. These were triggered by ski cutting and explosive work. A few loose dry natural observations and a natural avalanche on Pilsner, Mt Dennis that dusted the Field back road was also reported. We expect more avalanche activity occurred but visibility was limited.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Saturday

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.