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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 27th, 2018–Jan 28th, 2018

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

Regions

Glacier.

Recent moderate winds formed pockets of wind slab in the Alpine and exposed Tree Line areas. Human triggering of avalanches remains likely.High quality riding/skiing found in sheltered areas Tree Line and below.

Weather Forecast

Cloud with snow flurries for the day, up to 7cm of snow accumulation. Alpine high of -7, winds from the southeast 15-40km/hr. An atmospheric river has taken aim on the south coast and will push inland tomorrow afternoon and 'believe it or not', is forecasted to deliver over 65mm of precipitation by Tuesday... that could mean 70-100cm of snow!

Snowpack Summary

50cm of settling storm snow with 150cm of snow accumulation over the past two weeks. Expect to find pockets of wind slab along ridge lines and lee features due to the previous south winds in the Alpine. The Jan 16 surface hoar is down ~60cm, Jan 4 down ~80cm and Dec 15 down ~1m+ making for a complex sandwich of weak layers.

Avalanche Summary

Several natural avalanches size 2 observed along the highway.Test results showing the Jan 16 surface hoar (5-10mm) down ~60cm, fails suddenly and has a high propagation potential, which could result in large avalanches.No reports of avalanche activity in the backcountry. If you see anything, please submit a Mountain Information Network (MIN) report

Confidence

Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Saturday

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.