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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 24th, 2023–Dec 25th, 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

Cariboos, Blue River, Clearwater, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Clemina, North Monashee.

Uncertainty around buried weak layers is best managed through conservative terrain choices.

Avoid wind-loaded areas and steep open slopes where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle occurred on Friday evening. Several large (size 2 to 3) wind and storm slabs were reported from the alpine and treeline on a variety of aspects.

On Saturday in the Monashees south of Valemount, numerous size 2 to 3 persistent slab avalanches were triggered remotely by skiers from up to 1 km away! These avalanches occurred in a shallow snowpack area in the alpine and are suspected to have failed on basal facets.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm snow has been redistributed into wind slab near ridge crests by strong southerly winds. Below treeline a new crust is on or near the surface.

The mid pack contains several layers of note; a layer of surface hoar and a crust down 20 to 40 cm, a significant crust from the early December rain event down around 50 cm and a layer of surface hoar down 50 to 90 cm.

The make up of the lower snowpack is variable throughout the region, in shallower snowpack areas, basal facets exist. This is most concerning in shallow alpine areas in the eastern part of the region.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Clear periods with no new snow. South alpine wind, 30 to 60 km/h. Treeline temperature -8°C.

Monday

Cloudy with sunny periods, no new snow. South alpine wind, 30 to 70 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with snowfall, 1 to 10 cm of accumulation. South alpine wind, 30 to 70 km/h. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud, isolated flurries. Southeast alpine wind, 20 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.

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.