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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 13th, 2023–Jan 14th, 2023

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Rockies, Bull, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Continually assess the snowpack for signs of instability with dynamic weather conditions.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in the region.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

High freezing levels produced moist surface snow up to 2000 m on Friday. As temperatures cool a crust will form.

At alpine elevations, roughly 10 cm of low-density snow since the weekend overlies a generally well-settled upper snowpack. The mid and lower snowpack consists of loose facets, with a significant weak layer of large facets and a crust down 80 to 120 cm from the surface. The snow below the crust is generally weak and unconsolidated.

Treeline snow depths are roughly 140 to 160 cm.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Isolated wet flurries, trace accumulation. Moderate southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline low temperatures -6 C. Freezing level falling to 1700 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with flurries, up to 5 cm. Light southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline high temperatures around 0 C. Freezing level below 1700 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with flurries, up to 5 cm. Moderate and gusty southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline high temperatures -1 C, freezing level below 1500 m.

Monday

Cloudy with isolated flurries. Light southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline high temperatures -3 C, freezing level below 1100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
  • Don't let the desire for deep powder pull you into high consequence terrain.

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.