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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 4th, 2017–Mar 5th, 2017

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Lots of new snow loading and a lot of natural avalanche activity on Saturday. Avalanche activity will taper off on Sunday but avoid any overhead hazard and stick to moderate terrain until things quiet down.

Weather Forecast

Precipitation will taper off on Saturday night but flurries will continue through Sunday with another 5cm expected to fall. Winds should become light to moderate out of the SW and temperatures are forecast to stay below freezing and relatively steady until Monday.

Snowpack Summary

20-40cm of new has fallen with Moderate to Strong SW winds. Lots of wind slabs are present above treeline with new cornice development. This large load of new snow sits on a supportive mid-pack in most areas, but thinner spots still have weak facets and depth hoar near the base of the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

Poor visibility on Saturday, but natural, skier and explosive triggered avalanches were observed up to size 2.5 on all aspects running far down the paths. Ski cutting of wind loaded slopes produced avalanches and lots of sluffing in steep gullies was observed. Lots of whumphing in thin areas today!

Confidence

Due to the number of field observations

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.