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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 15th, 2024–Jan 16th, 2024

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

Regions

Blue River, Clearwater, Premier, Clemina, Esplanade, North Monashee, North Selkirk.

Large avalanches remain a concern. Be mindful of large slopes overhead and transitions to wind affected snow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small wind slabs and loose snow avalanches as well as sluffing were reported yesterday.

Last week there were continued reports of large natural and explosive controlled avalanches to size 3 in the alpine and treeline. These reports have started to tapper off.

Keep in mind as natural activity tapers off, rider triggered avalanches remain possible.

Snowpack Summary

Roughly 40-70 cm of soft faceted snow is on the surface in sheltered areas and is wind affected in the alpine and open treeline. This snow overlies a variety of old surfaces, but sheltered terrain where it may overlie preserved surface hoar, is the most concerning. Below 1600m a crust is present 50-80 cm down.

Two additional surface hoar layers in the top 2 m of the snowpack are diminishing in importance. The deeper of the two likely has a robust crust above it, below treeline. The depth of the snowpack varies greatly throughout the region and weak basal facets are present at the base of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, variable alpine wind 10-40 km/h, treeline temperature -25 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with 5-15 cm of snow, variable alpine wind 10-30 km/h, treeline temperature -18 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with 5-10 cm of snow, east alpine wind 10-30 km/h, treeline temperature -16 °C.

Thursday

Sunny with no new snow, east alpine wind 10-20 km/h, treeline temperature -18 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Overhead hazard may not be obvious, evaluate prior to commiting to terrain.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.