Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Dec 12th, 2017 4:14PM

The alpine rating is low, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low.

jmcbride, Avalanche Canada

Watch for changing snow conditions during the day. After the crust melts it may be possible to trigger loose, wet snow in steep, sunny or rocky terrain. Once moving wet snow can gather mass quickly.

Summary

Confidence

High - The weather pattern is stable

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind light from the northeast. Temperature +7. Freezing level 3500 m.THURSDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind light from the southwest. Temperature +7. Freezing level 3500 m.FRIDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind moderate from the west. Freezing level 800 m.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed since last Wednesday when small loose wet avalanches were noted up to size 1 in steep terrain, entraining the top 15 to 20 cm of snow. However, some rather large blocks of snow were observed to topple over from the base of a steep rocky outcrop depositing a 10 m wide debris pile across a snowshoe trail on Monday.

Snowpack Summary

On sunny, solar aspects a surface crust has formed overnight but will soften with continued warm temperatures and sun exposure in the afternoon. On north aspects however, the snow surface consists of feathery, surface hoar and sugary, faceted snow crystals in shaded areas at upper elevations. Below the snow surface, the upper snowpack is well-settled an sits on the late-November rain crust. This crust is now buried approximately 120 cm at 1300m elevation, and is up to 30 cm thick. Beneath the crust, the lower snowpack is wet to ground. Below treeline the snow pack is thin and there are many early season hazards. Snowpack depths range from 30 cm at 800 m elevation to 180 cm at 1220 m.

Valid until: Dec 13th, 2017 2:00PM