Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Regions
Glacier.
Recent moderate winds building wind slab in the Alpine and at Tree Line. Human triggering of avalanches remains likely.High quality skiing is found in sheltered areas Tree Line and below.
Weather Forecast
A brief relief today from the smorgasbord of winter storms, but the all you can ride/ski powder buffet is still open for business. The day will be mostly cloudy with light snow flurries and periods of sun. Alpine high of -11 with 20-35km/hr southwest winds. The next pacific storm pulse arrives tomorrow with a promising forecast of 70cm in four days
Snowpack Summary
50cm+ storm snow in the last 4 days at 1900m and over 150cm of snow in the last 2 weeks. Expect to find fresh wind slab along ridge lines and lee features due to the 30km/hr south winds in the alpine. The Jan 16 surface hoar is down ~50cm, Jan 4 down ~70 and Dec 15 down ~1m+ making for a complex sandwich of weak layers.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous natural avalanches size 2-2.5 observed along the highway corridor yesterday. Avalanche control two days ago produced results up to size 2.5.No reports of recent avalanche activity in the back-country. If you see anything, please submit a Mountain Information Network (MIN) Report.
Confidence
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.