Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Dec 28 – 29, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 14 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sun
Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Watch for newly formed and buried windslabs in the lee of terrain features and on cross-loaded features. lee
  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–3
    Expect the unconsolidated surface snow to sluff in steep terrain.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Saturday: Isolated flurries in the early part of the day with partially sunny breaks in the afternoon. Winds will be light from the northwest. Alpine temperatures will be near -6.Sunday: A weak ridge of high pressure should bring dry conditions with light north winds and alpine temperatures near -6.Monday: High pressure will continue to influence the region giving mostly sunny conditions, light west winds and alpine temperatures near -6.

Avalanche Summary

There was recent (Dec 26) report of a size 3 skier triggered avalanche in the Dogtooth range. Triggered from a thin area on a cross-loaded west facing feature at the upper end of the tree-line elevation, it then stepped down to the early November crust. There are no other observations to report at this time.

Snowpack Summary

New snow combined with wind has formed fresh wind slabs on the surface and/or buried newly formed surface hoar in sheltered, open areas at and below tree line. The mid-pack is reported to be settling well. Recent reports indicate the late November surface hoar, near the middle of the snowpack has been inactive as of late. There has been a recent report of the early November crust, near the base of the snowpack being reactive. It's important to note that professionals are still cautious about these lingering persistent slab problems, however the likelihood of triggering is low. Be wary of steep complex terrain with a shallow snowpack, where triggering a persistent weakness is more likely

Regions covered