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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 31st, 2013–Feb 1st, 2013

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

Regions

South Rockies.

Confidence

Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Friday

Weather Forecast

Friday: Moderate W wind. Alpine temperature near -2. Thin cloud with sunny breaks. No snow.Saturday: Light W wind. Alpine temperature rising to near 0. Sunny skies, with valley cloud. No snow.Sunday: Moderate SW wind. Alpine temperature near -9. Light snow.

Avalanche Summary

A few loose dry and soft slab avalanches to size 1.5 have been triggered naturally and by skiers over the last few days.

Snowpack Summary

Recent westerly winds have shifted snow into slabs on lee slopes. A weak interface buried on Jan 23 is down about 15-35 cm. The snow above this interface may be settling into a more reactive slab.The nature of this interface varies considerably from place to place. Buried large surface hoar was found in the North Elk Valley, but this seems to be a localized problem. In other areas, the interface consists of hard wind-affected surfaces, crusts and facets. The lower snowpack is generally well-settled.

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.