Fresh wind slabs are likely at higher elevations. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully as there is still limited information from this region.
Confidence
Moderate - The weather pattern is stable on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries in the north part of the region, moderate northwest wind, alpine temperatures warming to -5 C.WEDNESDAY: Sunny with valley cloud, light wind, inversion with freezing level up to 2200 m.THURSDAY: Sunny with valley cloud, light wind, inversion with freezing level up to 3000 m.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported. On Saturday, riders in the Valemount and Blue River areas reported some small natural loose dry avalanches in steep terrain, but no human-triggered avalanches were reported. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Snowpack Summary
Cold weather has preserved low density snow from last week's storms, with the exception of wind affected terrain at higher elevations. Recent snowfall amounts vary throughout the region, with roughly 20 cm in the north and up to 60 cm in the southeast of the region near Blue River. Below the recent storm snow you may find crusts that formed during rain events in late November. Little is known about depth, distribution, or reactivity of these crusts. Snow depths decrease rapidly below treeline, where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks.
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.