Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 24th, 2015 8:16AM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Loose Dry.
rbuhler,
Avalanche Canada
Low Danger does not mean No Danger. Continually assess conditions as you travel.
Summary
Confidence
Low - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
A ridge of high pressure should bring mostly sunny conditions for Christmas day. Temperatures at treeline should be around -15C and alpine winds are expected to increase to moderate from the NW in the afternoon. A mix of sun and cloud is expected for Saturday with moderate NW winds and treeline temperatures around -10C. A weak storm system is expected for Sunday but models are currently showing only a few centimeters of new snow.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported since Monday.
Snowpack Summary
20-40cm of low-density snow overlies soft wind slabs which formed last weekend. The few observations we have received suggest a good bond within the storm layers in the upper snowpack. Between 80 and 130cm below the surface you'll likely find a weak layer of well-developed surface hoar which was buried in early December. This layer is most widespread at lower elevations (between 1100m and 1700m.) Snow pit tests suggest that human triggering of this interface has become less likely. That said, if it does fail the overlying slab is stiff enough to propagate over a wide distance. Below this layer, the snowpack is thought to be generally strong and well-settled.
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose dry avalanches are still possible in steep, rocky terrain features.
Be cautious of sluffing in steep terrain.>Be aware of party members below you that may be exposed to your sluffs.>
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 25th, 2015 2:00PM
