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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2022–Mar 9th, 2022

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

Regions

Yukon.

Strong southwest wind will form fresh wind slabs in areas where soft snow is available for transport. Be aware that conditions will change throughout the day. 

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how the snowpack will react to the forecast weather.

Weather Forecast

Tuesday night: Clear with cloudy periods, moderate southwest wind, alpine low -15 °C.

Wednesday: Mix of sun and clouds, trace of new snow, strong southwest wind, alpine high -8 °C.

Thursday: Mainly cloudy, 5 cm snow, strong to extreme south wind, alpine high -6 °C.

Friday: Mainly cloudy, up to 5 cm snow, strong southwest wind, alpine high -4 °C.

Avalanche Summary

Three small (size 1.5) wind slabs were observed on Monday. 

Skiers were surprised by wind slab avalanches on north and northeast aspects in the White Pass area on Friday. The slabs were about 20 cm thick and the avalanches reached up to size 2. Slabs were still reactive to skier traffic on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

20-40 cm of recent snow are sitting on old, firm surfaces and a crust on solar aspects. The snow surface is heavily wind affected, and soft powder can be found only in the most wind sheltered places. On steep, sun-exposed aspects, there is potential for the existence of a sun crust. The bond between the recent snow and old firm surfaces was reactive to skier traffic in the last few days. 

The lower snowpack is well bridged by the layers above, and it is unlikely that avalanches will be triggered on weak, sugary crystals near the ground at this time. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Fresh wind slabs will likely form throughout the day, diligently watch for changing conditions.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Caution around slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.

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.