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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 11th, 2019–Nov 12th, 2019

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

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Watch for new wind slabs in steep alpine terrain as the winds pick up Monday night and into Tuesday.

Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas with the normal cautions for early season hazards and a thin snowpack.

Weather Forecast

Some gusty West winds are expected Monday night and into Tuesday easing up by the end of the day. A few cm's of snow is also expected but accumulations will be minimal. Temperatures will be in the -2 to -6 range at treeline.  Wednesday and Thursday look cool and clear.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of recent storm snow sits over the November 8 crust and a variety of old wind slabs in the alpine. The Nov 8 crust is present up to 2400 m. Faceting observed around the Oct crusts near the ground. Treeline snow depths range from 50-80 cm, and up to 110 cm in lee areas.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday a few small natural and skier triggered wind slabs in steep alpine terrain were observed on the 93 North. Sunday a natural cycle up to size 2.5 was observed in steep alpine terrain as the winds and new snow arrived. Sunday also saw a few skier triggered avalanches to size 1.5 in the new snow, occasionally stepping down to the Oct crust.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Tuesday

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.