Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Dec 23, 2017Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 9 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sun
Mon
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Conditions are highly variable. Wind slabs and a buried weak layer warrant a cautious approach to terrain. Read the forecasters' blog here for some great advice!

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Storm and wind slabs are sitting over a variable snow surface that may slide readily in some places (but not all). The snow needs time to bond!

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    A variable weak layer is buried 40-80 cm below the surface. It is most likely to be reactive in steep, unsupported terrain in sheltered locations where surface hoar crystals may have been preserved.

Confidence

Moderate - Wind effect is extremely variable

Weather Forecast

SATURDAY: Dry and sunny, strong northwest winds, temperatures around -17 C.SUNDAY: Dry and sunny with some clouds, moderate northwest winds, temperatures around -17 C.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light northwest winds, temperatures around -20 C.

Avalanche Summary

Over the past few days, avalanche activity has been reported in the east of the region where higher snow amounts occurred. This includes several large (size 2) explosive-triggered wind slabs on Friday. Smaller slabs have been triggered by skier traffic in steep terrain.

Snowpack Summary

In the southern and eastern parts of this region, up to 100 cm of snow has fallen in recent storms, combined with variable winds. In the Elk Valley, the amount of new snow is more like 40 cm. The new snow has fallen on a variety of surfaces including old crusts, wind-scoured surfaces and, in sheltered terrain at and below treeline, very large feathery surface hoar crystals. The two crusts that were buried near the end of November can be found lower in the snowpack. A third crust from the end of October exists near the base of the snowpack. Recent testing on this crust have not produced significant results.

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