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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 3rd, 2012–Dec 4th, 2012

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

Regions

South Rockies.

Confidence

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Weather Forecast

Overnight and Tuesday: Light to locally moderate snowfall / Extreme southwest winds / Freezing level at 1500mWedesday: Light snowfall / Strong to extreme southwest winds / Freezing level at surfaceThursday: Trace amounts of snow / Light southwest winds / Freezing level at surface

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche observations.

Snowpack Summary

A report from near Harvey Pass tells us that there is about 25 cms of storm snow that is "damp" at treeline and the ski penetration is only about 20 cms. Having said that, recent accumulations have been highly variable throughout the region and more recent strong winds have most likely redistributed surface snow into pockets of windslab at higher elevations. Continued windslab development is expected with forecast weather.The November crust was found to be buried down about 60 cms and was associated with a layer of facets either directly above or below. In general, snowpack data is sparse in this region and significant variations likely exist from one drainage to another. In short, digging down and making your own observations will be critical to safe slope selection. Any observations from the field are welcome at [email protected].

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.