Avalanche forecast

Northwest Inland

Mar 22 – 23, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

The avalanche danger could be a little higher during the day with warmer temperatures and strong solar radiation.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–3
    New wind slabs may be triggered in exposed lee and cross-loaded features.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–6
    Large cornices exist in alpine terrain. A failure could be destructive by itself, and could also trigger an avalanche on the slope below.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–3
    Loose wet avalanches are likely in steep south-facing terrain if the sun is shining.

Confidence

Fair - Due to limited field observations

Weather Forecast

A ridge of high pressure should maintain mostly sunny and dry conditions for the next several days. The freezing level will drop to valley bottom overnight and rise to 800-1000m during the day. Ridge top winds should be generally light from the south.

Avalanche Summary

No new slab avalanches have been reported in the past day or two, although observations are limited. Loose dry sluffing was observed in steep terrain. There were also a few reports of cornice failures on the weekend, but most did not trigger slabs.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 25cm of new snow covers the previous surface which included a sun crust on southerly aspects, surface facets or surface hoar in cool shady areas, and pockets of wind slab in exposed terrain. Moderate southerly winds have created new wind slabs in lee and cross-loaded terrain. The mid February persistent weak layer interface, comprised of spotty surface hoar, facets and crusts, is buried 80-120 cm below the surface. No recent activity has been reported on this interface. However, recent snowpack tests have been giving hard but sudden "pop" results and indicate it is has the potential to react given the right trigger in the right place. For route selection, it should still be on your radar and is more likely to be triggered on steeper, unsupported terrain. Cornices in the area are reported to be very large and primed for natural collapse or triggering by a person.

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