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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 18th, 2025–Feb 19th, 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.

An avalanche incident on Monday near Golden reminds us that even under Moderate/Low danger, small windslabs have consequences. Changes to the weather pattern are underway, with warming and trace amounts of new snow starting Wednesday. By the weekend, expect avalanche danger to rise along with 20-40 cm of new snow and warm temps.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

A fresh report just in of a fatal avalanche that occurred south of Golden on Monday. A small windslab on a north aspect at 2300 m carried one person a long way (1000 m) down a steep, confined gully with many terrain obstacles.

No new avalanches were reported or observed in the Little Yoho region. Further east, Lake Louise forecasters report many people skiing aggressive lines.

Snowpack Summary

Spotty surface hoar growth up to 7mm has been observed on the snow surface. Beneath that, about 25cm of settled snow sits over the Jan 30 weak layer, with ageing wind slabs lingering in isolated areas. Specific wind-exposed terrain may also feature sastrugi. The mid and lower snowpack remains well-settled, with tree-line snow depths ranging from 120cm to 180cm.

Weather Summary

Say goodbye to the Arctic ridge of high pressure deflecting all the weather systems around us. Starting Wednesday, the ridge retreats and the warm-up begins with new snow arriving and temperatures reaching above zero in the valley by the weekend. It looks like only a few cm of snow on Wed and Thurs, but we may see 20-30 cm and rain in the valley bottom over the weekend.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs are isolated, but may remain reactive.

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.