Avalanche forecast

Purcells

Dec 10 – 11, 2011Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 15 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Stiff wind slabs in the alpine and open areas at treeline may be triggered by skiers and riders.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–5
    The weak facetted layer near the ground may still be triggered by human activity with the common trigger points being convexities, rocks or clumps of small trees.

Confidence

Fair - Due to limited field observations

Weather Forecast

Sunday: Expect clearing skies, with light winds and temperatures reaching -10. Monday: Mostly clear, with winds turning westerly but remaining light. Freezing levels could reach 1200m. Tuesday: Expect clouds to build and light flurries to begin late in the day under southwesterly winds.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar continues to grow and the cold weather is penetrating into the upper snowpack giving near surface facetting. Steep south facing slopes may have developed a thin sun-crust. Windslabs continue to lurk in lee areas in the alpine and open treeline. Snow depths are quite variable through the region with 130-150cm in the alpine. There is still concern for triggering the weak basal facets/depth hoar, as these layers have shown sudden collapse results in stability test in shallow areas.

Regions covered