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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 11th, 2025–Jan 12th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Purcells, Dogtooth, East Purcell, West Purcell.

Assess for wind slabs before committing to terrain, especially near ridge crests.

Use extra caution in shallow snowpack areas where triggering avalanches is more likely.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A notable avalanche occurred near Golden on Saturday when a skier was caught in a size 2.5 wind slab avalanche (see MIN report).

Small natural and human-triggered wind slab avalanches continue to be reported on various aspects at treeline and above.

On Wednesday, a skier triggered a small persistent slab avalanche on Mount Goldie, likely releasing on the early December weak layer (see MIN report).

Snowpack Summary

Ongoing westerly wind has impacted the snowpack . Isolated wind slabs could exist on leeward aspects in the alpine and treeline.

The upper snowpack contains a variety of layers including one or more surface hoar layers just below the surface in sheltered terrain and a crust on or near the surface on solar aspects.

A weak layer buried in early December can be found down 40 cm in shallow areas and as much as 120 cm in deep snowpack areas. On shaded slopes, it consists of weak surface hoar or faceted crystals, while on south-facing slopes, it combines a sun crust with facets.

The snowpack base is composed of a thick crust and facets in many areas.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Mix of cloud and clear sky with trace amounts of snow possible. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Sunday

Mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of snow possible. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 30 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow possible. 20 to 35 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops where you're most likely to trigger avalanches on deep weak layers.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.

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.