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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 6th, 2025–Jan 7th, 2025

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir.

As winds increase watch for fresh wind slab development at upper elevations.

Look for sheltered areas where snow is preserved and good quality riding can be found.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday explosive control work produced slabs up to size 2. While winds have varied, avalanche activity has been noted on all aspects except east.

On Wednesday a size 2 to 2.5 persistent slab avalanches was rider triggered, on north aspects around 2200 m. Check out this MIN report for further details from near Rossland (photo below).

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a MIN report!

Snowpack Summary

Strong easterly winds have stripped and scoured open features, forming dense, wind affected deposits of snow. In sheltered areas, 30 to 50 cm of settling snow exists. Check out this great MIN report from Kootenay Pass.

Below, a thin crust or layer of surface hoar can be found. Reactivity to riders has been noted in areas where the surface hoar is preserved.

Weak layers of surface hoar or facets and a crust continue to persist in the mid-snowpack and can be found down between 50 and 120 cm.

The lower snowpack is generally strong and well-bonded.

Check out this video on State of the snowpack for further details.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Clear skies. 10 to 20 km/h northerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -4 °C.

Tuesday

Increasing cloud. 15 to 30 km/h westerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy with light flurries, 1 to 2 cm. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -4 °C.

Thursday

Mainly clear skies. 10 to 25 km/h southerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.

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.