Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 9th, 2023–Dec 10th, 2023

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Early Season

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Early Season

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Early Season

Regions

Fryatt, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

The snowpack has a weak base. Watch for lee or cross-loaded features where the slab sitting on top is stiffer and deeper. Ski lightly as hazards are just below the surface.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No field patrol has occurred since Wednesday. No avalanches were noted.

Snowpack Summary

Winds have redistributed snow and stripped many areas forming windslabs. The snow overlies a midpack weak layer composed of surface hoar and facets or a melt-freeze crust depending on aspect or elevation. The snowpack is 30-40cm in depth with a weak facetted base. A rain crust exists below 1800m.

Weather Summary

The Mountain Weather Forecast is available from Avalanche Canada https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.

Problems

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.