Avalanche Forecast

Poor - Freezing levels are uncertain

The ridge of high pressure is forecast to continue to bring clear skies to the region on Sunday night and Monday. There is a temperature inversion forecast to move into the area from the Northwest. This means that it may be warmer in the Alpine than it is in the valley. This condition should be fairly short lived on Monday, and then replaced with below freezing temperatures down to the valleys by Tuesday morning. Strong South-westerly winds are forecast for Tuesday morning as a fast moving cold front moves through the region. The ridge of high pressure should re-build on Wednesday, and there may be another period of above freezing temperatures in the alpine.

Being the start of December more backcountry operations are headed into the field. This means more information, and observations are making there way into our office. Thank you!There is still numerous avalanches occurring in the backcountry. Natural activity up to size 2.0, on various aspects above 2000m have been reported. As well, there are reports of rider triggered activity. On Thursday there was a large (size 3) rider triggered avalanche on a south east aspect at 2900m. The crown depth being 200cm and the slide running 800 vertical meters, over a kilometer. One of the people involved has sustained serious injuries. With the clear, sunny skies ahead don't be fooled. The snowpack is still touchy with weaknesses buried below. Please refer to the Forecaster's Blog for further information and suggestions help you make the right choices in the backcountry. As well, continue to follow our bulletins. We update everyday. Have a safe, fun weekend.

Let's call it 200 cms of snow at the upper boundary of the treeline. There is some variability, so you may find more or less depending on the drainage that you are exploring. If there is 150 cms or less at the treeline-alpine interface elevation, then you are in an area that we would consider having a shallow snowpack. If there is more than 250 cms at this interface, then you are in area with a deep snowpack. Areas with a shallower snowpack are more likely to have a weaker sugary base layer near the ground that may result in large avalanches once this layer has been triggered. Shallow areas may also be more likely to have a weak surface hoar layer about 50 cms above the ground that could be triggered by skiers and riders. Avalanches triggered on this layer could also be quite large, and may propagate across large features. Most reports that we have in this region discuss the widespread wind slab problem in the alpine and at the treeline interface. The wind has come from several different directions, and has been strong enough to re-distribute the snow into hard stiff wind slabs at higher open elevations. The wind slab may be softer as you descend into the trees, but still likely to be triggered.