Avalanche forecast

Cariboos

Jan 4 – 6, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–5
    Big winds combined with plenty of snow available for transportation have resulted in widespread wind slabs on lee slopes. I'd be suspect of any open slope, even around treeeline.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    3–7
    Surface hoar buried about a meter below the surface has created a dangerous and tricky avalanche problem. Activity has slowed in the Caribou's, but this layer needs to be treated with great caution. Conservative terrain choices are appropriate.

Confidence

Good - -1

Weather Forecast

Light snowfall (around 5 cm) is expected on Thursday with the passage of a cold front across the region. Things should dry up by midday and especially eastern areas will see clearing skies. Freezing levels will be at valley bottom and winds will be gusty from the northwest. On Friday ridging continues, keeping temperatures cool, giving some bright spells and maintaining moderate northwesterly winds. Dry conditions should persist into Saturday, although there is a possibility of some precipitation (maybe even freezing rain) in this area.

Avalanche Summary

A size 2 cornice release was reported from just south of this region on a north aspect around 2000m from Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

Total snowpack depths are approximately 250 cm at treeline. Moderate amounts of new snow fell overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. Strong winds have redistributed some of this snow into the classic lee areas in exposed terrain-behind ridgelines, summits and exposed rolls and features at alpine elevations. Below around 1700m there is likely now a rain crust. A surface hoar/facet/crust interface from mid-December is well preserved and acting as a persistent weak layer. This is buried 100 to 150 cm deep and has been reactive to natural and human triggers. The increased depth is beginning to make triggering more difficult but bear in mind it also increases the size of anything that does go on this layer, which in turn increases the consequences.

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