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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 9th, 2025–Jan 10th, 2025

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

UPDATED AT 07:45 AM. The snowpack needs time to adjust to the new snow load. Use cautious route-finding and avoid alpine terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Observations during the storm have been limited due to poor visibility. On Wednesday and Thursday our field team observed size 1-2 storm slab avalanches.

On Tuesday, they remotely triggered a large (size 2) storm slab near the Fraser Chutes, which stepped down to the persistent weak layer. Check out their MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

Light snowfall continues to accumulate. Since the start of the week, around 50 cm has fallen. Strong southerly winds have formed deeper deposits on northerly aspects.

The recent snow sits over a 20 to 30 cm thick layer of old faceted snow. Below 1700m, these facets sit over a crust. Recent avalanches have been observed to have failed on this layer.

The rest remainder of the snowpack is well bonded and settled. Snowpack depths range from about 100 to 180 cm.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Friday

Cloudy with around 5 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 500 m.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow possible. 50 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow possible. 60 to 90 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Travel in alpine terrain is not recommended.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.