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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 4th, 2021–Dec 5th, 2021

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

Northwest Inland.

Be alert as you transition into wind-affected elevations, and stay off of recently wind loaded slopes until they've had a chance to stabilize. 

Watch for reactive slabs on all aspects, changing winds may load unexpected features.

Confidence

Low - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

Saturday Night: Partly Cloudy. No new snow expected. Moderate to strong northwest wind. Alpine temperature around -15 C.

Sunday: Scattered cloud in the morning, increasing cloud cover over the day. No new snow expected. Moderate northwest wind. Alpine low around -12 C.

Monday: Overcast, potentially clearer north of Smithers. No new snow expected. Moderate southwest winds. Alpine low around -12 C.

Tuesday: Overcast. 3-11 cm of snow expected. Strong to extreme southwest winds in the high alpine. Alpine temperatures above -10 C with possible temperature inversion.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed.

Reports in the region remain limited. A lack of information may not actually mean there is a lack of avalanche activity. 

Snowpack Summary

Check out our forecaster blog here for the big picture.

This snowpack summary is mostly speculative, as there is very little information in this region at the moment:) If you have been getting out in the backcountry, we'd love to see a photo or a quick story of your day posted to the Mountain Information Network. 

The upper snowpack is variable, depending on exposure to recent strong winds. Some exposed areas may be stripped back to the Nov 30/Dec 1 crust, or to ground at higher ridge tops. The crust has been reported up to 1600 m in the south end of the region.

A change in wind directions means that you may find wind slabs on many aspects, and on both sides of ridges. Late in the week, wind slabs were built by moderate to strong winds that were blowing mostly from the southwest. This weekend, the moderate to strong winds are forecast to be from the northwest.

The mid snowpack may be in a state of confusion at the moment. There may be moist snow under the Nov 30/Dec 1 Crust. The snowpack was previously expected to be gaining strength with consistent new snow load and warm temperatures, but recent cold temperatures are likely promoting faceting, especially around crusts.

 The lower snowpack consists mostly of frozen crusts.

Treeline snow depths are estimated to be 100-150 cm.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid lee and cross loaded slopes in the alpine.
  • A crust on the surface will help bind the snow together, but may make for tough travel conditions.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.

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.