Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 31st, 2022 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
mconlan,
Avalanche Canada
Start your day with a conservative mindset and assess for how the recent snow is bonding to the snowpack before committing yourself.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy with isolated flurries, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, 20 to 30 km/h northwest wind, alpine temperature -17 C.
TUESDAY: Clear skies with no precipitation, 20 to 30 km/h north wind, alpine temperature -24 C.
WEDNESDAY: Increasing clouds with afternoon snowfall, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, 40 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -20 C.
THURSDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 15 cm, 40 to 60 km/h west wind, alpine temperature -10 C.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches were reported. We may receive more reports of observations during the weekend's storm shortly.
Looking forward, human-triggering of avalanches may remain elevated as the new snow starts to bond to the snowpack. It may take longer than expected, particularly where it sits on weak layers described in the snowpack summary.
Snowpack Summary
The weekend's storm brought around 10 to 20 cm of snow to the region with a few hot spots of up to 35 cm in the southwest of the region. The snow fell with strong wind from variable wind directions, forming wind slabs in lee terrain features. In areas sheltered from the wind, the snow overlies weak surface hoar crystals, which may also sit above a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes.
The lower snowpack is generally strong and well-bonded. The base of the snowpack is expected to be weak in shallow, rocky, wind-affected slopes east of the divide.
Terrain and Travel
- Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
- Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
- Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
- Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
Problems
Storm Slabs
New storm slabs have formed from the weekend's snow, which are expected to remain triggerable by riders. The snow may overly a weak layer of surface hoar crystals. Also expect to find wind slabs in steep, lee terrain features at higher elevations.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 1st, 2022 4:00PM
