Avalanche forecast

Yukon

Jan 25 – 26, 2025Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Very large avalanches remain possible due to a deeply buried weak layer.

Strong wind continues to build slabs.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2.5

    Strong wind will continue to build slabs in lee terrain.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2

    A cornice falling may trigger a deeply buried weak layer.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3.5

    The early December weak layer continues to be triggerable in shallow, thin to thick areas. Remote triggering and wide propagations should be at the forefront of your mind.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, there were two very large (size 3) avalanches triggered by cornices falling on a slope and triggering a weak layer, suspected to be the early December crust.

On January 15th, a very large persistent slab avalanche was remotely triggered (MIN report).

Snowpack Summary

Exposed terrain has been heavily wind-affected. In sheltered areas, there is 20 to 30 cm of settling soft snow.

A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December is buried 80 to 140 cm deep. This layer exists on all aspects up to around 1700 m and produced large avalanches last weekend.

Check out this recent ACMG Mountain Conditions Report for more on the persistent weak layer problem.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday

Cloudy with 5 to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.

Regions covered