Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 13th, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is Storm Slabs.
, the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems includeRecent storm snow has buried a layer of surface hoar. The snowpack will need some time to adjust to the new load.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Numerous explosive-triggered avalanches up to size 2.5 were reported on Tuesday. Primarily in the north of the region. We suspect a natural avalanche cycle to have occurred Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a MIN report.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 20 to 30 cm of new snow has been redistributed by strong southerly alpine winds. Buried by this most recent snow may be a layer of feathery surface hoar crystals. Another layer of surface hoar may exist deeper in the snowpack, roughly 50 to 70 cm below the surface.
The remaining mid and lower snowpack contains several crusts from early in the season that are generally well-bonded to the surrounding snowpack. Currently, the height of snow is highly variable and decreases significantly at lower elevations.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy with 0 to 10 cm of snow (higher amounts in the north of the region), southwest alpine winds 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.
Thursday
Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 40 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -3 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with 2 to 10 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 60 to 80 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with trace precipitation, southwest alpine winds 40 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -3 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
- Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
- Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm slabs may remain reactive to human-triggering with potential for buried weak surface hoar layers.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 14th, 2023 4:00PM