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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 3rd, 2022–Dec 4th, 2022

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

Regions

Cariboos, North Rockies, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Early season uncertainty and limited field data: dig down and investigate the snowpack in the area you are riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, explosives near Sukunka creek triggered mostly small (size 1) wind slab avalanches, However one size 2.5 was triggered on a south aspect at 2200 m. The avalanche was described as fast-moving, with the powder debris splitting onto two separate avalanches. Recent windslab avalanches have generally been reported on north aspects at treeline, likely failing on the reported melt-freeze crust.

Reports from an observation flight on Monday over the Sentinel Pass indicate that a past natural storm slab avalanche cycle occurred in steep rocky terrain up to size 2.5 (very large).

Please consider sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network to help us and fellow recreationists.

Snowpack Summary

40-80 cm of snowfall accumulated last week, and strong southwest winds during the storm quickly impacted fresh snow at upper elevations. Settled snow now covers a melt-freeze crust down 60-80 cm. We're still gaining information on the distribution and sensitivity of this layer, but further south of the Avalanche Forecast region, reactive surface hoar is found over this crust. Snowpack depths range from 60 cm at treeline to 120 cm in the alpine.

Weather Summary

Saturday night

Cold, valley cloud forming overnight. Gusty northeast wind up to 50 km/hr. Treeline temperature low -27 C.

Sunday

Cold, cloudy, and windy. North wind 15-30 km/hr, east slopes of the Rockies could see gusts to 35 km/hr. Treeline high temperature -14 C.

Monday

Increasing cloud and isolated flurries with higher accumulations are forecast for the east slopes of the Rockies, trace to 5 cm accumulation. West wind 15-25 km/hr. Treeline high temperature -12 C.

Tuesday

Gusty wind and flurries, trace to 5 cm. Southwest wind 15-30 km/hr. Treeline temperature rising to -9 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
  • Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.

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.