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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 1st, 2025–Jan 2nd, 2025

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

We have separated this small zone from the rest of the Banff, Yoho and Kootenay forecast region because the snowpack is "stronger" in this area.

The storm snow from the last five days is upwards of 40cm, so watch for sluffing out of steep terrain.

A hint of wind will quickly develop windslabs.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in this region for Jan 1st. We suspect a loose dry cycle up to size 2 has occurred with the last 24-36 hours, especially out of steep terrain.

Our field team on Dec 31st were near Emerald Lake observed Dry Loose avalanches up to size 2 running out of steep alpine terrain in the Emerald Basin. No other avalanche observations have been reported.

Snowpack Summary

20-40 cm unconsolidated storm snow has fallen over the past five days, with very little wind. This overlies a 100-120 cm snowpack with a strong mid-pack but a weak crust/facet layer near the ground. The distribution and strength of this layer varies, but conditions in the deeper snowpack of the Little Yoho region are better than areas further east in BYK. With the amount of snow available for transport, expect conditions to change quickly with any wind loading.

Weather Summary

Tonight: Periods of snow. Amount 2 cm. Wind east 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low minus 14. Wind chill near minus 22.

Thursday: Mainly cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries in the morning. Wind up to 15 km/h. High minus 10. Wind chill minus 22 in the morning and minus 17 in the afternoon.

Friday: Cloudy. High minus 9.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Wind slabs are isolated, but may remain reactive.

Problems

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.

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.