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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 7th, 2023–Apr 8th, 2023

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Watch for fresh and reactive wind slabs where new snow is available for transport.

Keep an eye on snow conditions as the sun may break out on Saturday, rapidly moistening the snow and increasing reactivity.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Warmer temperatures and some sun effect on Thursday produced small wet loose avalanches.

Wind slabs were last reported earlier in the week, in north-facing terrain features. New snow and wind continue to provide the potential for developing fresh and reactive wind slabs.

On Saturday a rider triggered a cornice fall from a distance, which produced a size 3 persistent slab avalanche on a northeast aspect at 1750 m. The avalanche was 200 cm deep and was suspected of having failed on a layer of facets above a crust buried in January.

Snowpack Summary

Around 25 cm of recent snowfall will continue to be redistributed by southerly winds into wind slabs over previously wind-affected snow on north and east facing slopes. South facing terrain will likely be stripped back to a crust by these winds. Lower elevations likely have a crust on or near the surface from recent warm temperatures.

A weak layer of surface hoar/crust/facets buried in early January is now buried over 1 m deep in most areas. This layer has produced recent avalanche activity and remains a concern in terrain where the snowpack is thin. The lower snowpack consists of basal facets, particularly in shallow areas.

Our field team travelled far and wide on Thursday, check our their MIN report here for current conditions.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snowfall. Moderate southerly winds. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with 5 cm of snow with strong southerly winds. Freezing levels around 1000 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with light snowfall with strong southerly winds. Freezing levels around 1000 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with moderate southwest winds. Freezing levels remain low around 500 m. Flurries are possible in isolated areas.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Use caution on large alpine slopes, especially around thin areas that may propagate to deeper instabilities.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.

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.