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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 5th, 2023–Jan 6th, 2023

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Natural avalanches are tapering off, but human triggering is still a real possibility. If you choose to go into bigger terrain and trigger an avalanche it will likely involve the whole feature.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Lake Louise got a couple of avalanches up to size 2 with explosives today, with one possibly stepping down to the deeper facets. No other avalanches were reported.

Snowpack Summary

10-20cm of soft surface snow in many areas gives good ski quality with a supportive mid-pack. However, the mid-pack is generally weak with two persistent layers (Dec. 17 layer 25-60cm down, and a deeper layer of facets, depth hoar, and/or crust near the ground) that show variable results with snowpack tests.

Weather Summary

On Friday, scattered flurries and cloudy skies will occur near the continental divide. Strong SW winds of 50-60km/h will diminish to 30-40 km/h over the day, and freezing levels will remain at valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

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.