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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 30th, 2012–Dec 31st, 2012

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

Regions

South Rockies.

Confidence

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Weather Forecast

Monday-Wednesday: Expect benign weather with light winds, alpine temperatures around -8 and no precipitation. It may warm up a bit on Wednesday, with the freezing level rising to 1400 m.

Avalanche Summary

Size 1-2 loose dry avalanches failed naturally on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Wind slabs may be found behind terrain breaks such as ridges, ribs and gully walls. A generally settled upper snowpack overlies two or more buried crusts. The December crust is found 70-140 cm below the surface and the November crust/facet layer is near the base of the snowpack. Recent snowpack tests have shown little reactivity on these layers, apart from in the Flathead Range near Fernie, where sudden results on the November crust and a large settlement were observed on Saturday. Although unlikely, there is a lingering possibility of triggering a deep avalanche, especially from thin snowpack areas. Check out the forecaster’s blog for more discussion on this.

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.