Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Jan 31 – Feb 1, 2014Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

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

Avalanche problems

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–4
    An increasingly well settled snowpack means triggering an avalanche on a deep persistent layer has become unlikely. However, large and destructive avalanches may be possible with a heavy load in steep, rocky start zones.

Confidence

Fair - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

A ridge of high pressure will continue to keep things cold and dry for the forecast period. We should see increased cloud for late Sunday and Monday, but no real precipitation is expected. Winds are expected be light to moderate from the northwest on Saturday decreasing substantially by Sunday and Monday. Alpine temperatures should hover around -15 for the weekend with more significant cooling by Monday.

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche activity has been reported.

Snowpack Summary

About 10cm of recent snowfall overlies well developed surface hoar in many areas. The new snow may exist as a thin soft slab in wind-exposed terrain. Below this you'll likely find about 10cm of faceted snow over older surface hoar and old, unreactive wind slabs. A melt-freeze crust is now buried on most slopes that saw direct sun last week.The main concern in the region continues to be the weak buried faceted snow which exists in the mid or lower snowpack (depending where you are in the region). No avalanche activity has been reported at this interface for some time; however, weaknesses continue to appear in snowpack tests. Although unlikely, avalanches at this interface could have nasty consequences. Possible triggers for this layer include cornice fall, rapid temperature change or a heavy load over a thin spot.

Regions covered