Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 8th, 2017 8:00AM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
percy woods,
Parks Canada
Look to protected locations for the best ski quality. Days are still short, plan your turn around time to be back to the trail head well before dark.
Summary
Weather Forecast
Today's forecast calls for cloudy with sunny periods and an alpine high of -7C. Ridgetop winds should be light and from the SE. Later today a Pacific front should move in bringing upwards of 15cm of storm snow by Monday afternoon. Warming temps, snowfall and occasionally gusting winds will see a rise in the avalanche danger for Monday.
Snowpack Summary
New Years N'ly winds left exposed slopes at and above treeline wind pressed. In more protected locations these slabs may rest on top of the Dec 26th surface hoar layer. The Dec 18th facet/surface hoar layer down 50-80cm is producing hard results in field tests with varying fracture character. Surface faceting is building the next weak layer.
Avalanche Summary
Last Wednesday skiers accidentally triggered a size 1.5 windsslab on a SW aspect at 2350m in the Hermit area. Since then there has been little natural avalanche activity observed or reported.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Problems
Wind Slabs
Reverse loading has left behind windslab and wind pressed snow in the alpine and at treeline. Most of the skier triggered avalanches have been on Southerly aspects in shallow areas in the alpine.
Use caution above cliffs where small avalanches may have severe consequences.Avoid shallow snowpack areas where triggering is more likely.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 9th, 2017 8:00AM
