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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2024–Jan 8th, 2024

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

Dogtooth.

Don't let the new snow draw you into big terrain, the snowpack remains generally shallow and weak.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported. While avalanche activity has decreased avalanches remain possible which could have particularly high consequences.

If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Recent snow continues to accumulate atop a complex, generally weak snowpack.

The mid and lower snowpack contain a number potentially problematic weak layers. Of particular note is a layer of surface hoar down roughly 40 to 80 cm from the surface.

Weak basal facets characterize the lower snowpack, especially in alpine terrain.

Snowpack depths at treeline range from 60 to 140 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, west alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -12 °C.

Monday

Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -12 °C.

Tuesday

Mix of sun and snow with up to 5 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud with trace snow amounts, northwest alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -12 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.

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.

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.