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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 10th, 2017–Jan 11th, 2017

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

Little Yoho.

Steady winds from the north have blown most of the recent snow into hard slabs in unusual locations (reverse loading). Pay close attention to the texture of the snow surface under your feet. Mt. Stephen ice climbs remain somewhat suspect.

Weather Forecast

Clear and cold for the next few days, with gradual warming starting for the weekend. Wednesday's temperatures will range from -16 to -25, with light winds out of the north (moderate winds up high). With the wind, the temperatures are brutal right now so be sure to bring tonnes of extra warm clothing and take care to not let yourself get too cold.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of low density snow has been blown into hard wind slabs from north winds, so expect locally deep pockets of dense wind drifts in unusual areas (reverse loading). These slabs overlie a faceted snowpack with the main problem being the Dec 19 interface of facets, now buried down about 50-70 cm.

Avalanche Summary

No avalanche activity reported or observed in Little Yoho today, but we have minimal observations from this area - so low confidence.

Confidence

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.