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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 6th, 2024–Dec 7th, 2024

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, East Purcell.

New snow may not bond well to the old. Test before committing to larger terrain.

Concern remains for a weak layer near the base of the snowpack in shallow areas with facets over a crust.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new slab avalanches have been reported. Small wet loose avalanches were triggered by riders on Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

Treeline snow depths are generally 50 to 70 cm, with deeper wind-loaded pockets in the alpine.

New snow is expected to land on a variety of different layers including sun crusts, surface hoar in sheltered areas, and wind-affected snow.

In the Invermere area, weak faceted snow at the base of the snowpack has caused several small but notable deep persistent slab avalanches.

Early-season hazards are present at all elevations. Stay alert and assess terrain carefully.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Monday

Sunny. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.