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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 29th, 2022–Nov 30th, 2022

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

The cold temperatures will persist all week, with a refresh of new snow coming on Wednesday, but the snowpack is weak and human triggering is likely in many areas while natural avalanche activity has slowed. This is a classic start to the Rockies' winter season: a shallow, weak snowpack prone to human triggering that is slow to change. Settle in for a conservative start to your winter.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Nothing was reported on Tuesday, but on Monday a size 2 skier triggered avalanche failed on the ground adjacent Lake Louise ski area, along with a surface hoar avalanche near Sunshine and two size 2-2+ Na avalanches on the 93N that appear to have failed on the basal facets.

Snowpack Summary

25-30 cm of storm snow has accumulated over the past 7 days at treeline that has now settled into a slab overlying a mix of weak facets, surface hoar, or sun crust on steep south aspects (ie: very weak base). 40-80 cm of total snow exists at treeline throughout the region, with up to 120 cm in loaded alpine features.

Weather Summary

An arctic ridge of high pressure remains anchored in Alberta while a low-pressure system moves across BC starting Tuesday night and through the day on Wed. This will produce 5-10 cm of snow in most of the region by Wed while temperatures remain cold (-20ish) and winds light from the south. No warm-up is expected for at least another week.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

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.