Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 29th, 2023 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Deep Persistent Slabs.
lbaker,
Avalanche Canada
Watch for pockets of stiff wind slab at upper elevations from recent winds. These slabs may be in atypical areas due to reverse-loading.
Avoid shallow areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday several thin wind slabs, up to size 1.5, were reported to be reactive to natural and human triggers.
On Friday, small storm slab and loose dry avalanches were reported during the storm.
Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
15 cm of storm snow has been redistributed by northeasterly winds in the alpine and at treeline. New snow sits over a crust on southerly slopes, previously wind affected surfaces in exposed areas and over a layer of surface hoar in sheltered areas.
A crust and facet layer from mid January, 2 to 15 cm thick at treeline sits 50 to 90 cm deep. Where it's thickest, it caps the settled and consolidated mid-snowpack.
The lower snowpack contains weak and facetted grains from November. The total snowpack depth ranges between 120 and 250 cm.
Weather Summary
Sunday Night
Clear skies. Northwesterly ridgetop winds 20 km/h. Alpine low temperatures of -20°C
Monday
Sunny with clouds increasing in the afternoon. Light northerly ridgetop winds switch to moderate westerly winds in the afternoon. Alpine high of -16°C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulations. Westerly ridgetop winds 40 km/h. Alpine high of -14°C.
Wednesday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulations. Westerly ridgetop winds 40 km/h. Alpine high of -10°C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind loaded snow.
- Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Expect to find wind slabs at higher elevations. Up to 30 cm of recent snow is available to be redistributed by northeast winds. The primary concern is for the south and west facing terrain features but recent winds have varied throughout the region - look for wind affected snow on all aspects as you approach or descend from ridgelines.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Deep Persistent Slabs
Faceted grains make up the lower snowpack and are gaining strength very slowly. Although deep persistent slab avalanches have not been reported in the region for some time there is concern that this layer remains an active avalanche problem in the northern, data-sparse parts of the region. In these areas, this layer could still be triggered with a heavy load, like a cornice fall, machine trigger, or in areas with a thinner snowpack.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 30th, 2023 4:00PM
