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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 10th, 2023–Dec 11th, 2023

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

Regions

North Rockies, McBride, Sugarbowl, East Kakwa, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Strong winds may have moved snow to unusual terrain features, watch for wind effected snow on mid slope rollovers and gullies

Early season hazards lurk just below the snows surface.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches have been reported in the last 3 days. Reactivity is expected to linger in wind affected features.

Please continue to submit MIN reports and support your backcountry community.

Snowpack Summary

Strong winds have likely stripped available snow from south and west facing slopes, redistributing it onto north and east facing terrain features.

A layer of surface hoar can be found around 30-50 cm deep. This is most concerning in wind-loaded features.

A crust with sugary facets beneath it can be found just above the ground. The snowpack is still shallow for this time of year. Average snowpack depths at treeline range from 65 to 90 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy with no snow expected. Westerly winds, 30-40 km/h. Freezing levels drop back to valley bottom.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud. No snow is expected. Treeline temperatures around -7 °C. Westerly winds, 20-40 km/h.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Strong southwest winds return, 70-90 km/h. No snowfall expected. Freezing levels rise to 1000 m, treeline temperatures around -3 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with southwest winds 80km/h. 5-10 cm of snow possible. Freezing levels begin around 2000 m, and drop over the day to 1000 m. Treeline temperatures around 0 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.

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.