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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 25th, 2023–Dec 26th, 2023

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

Regions

Glacier.

Wind slabs exist in the alpine and if triggered could step down to the persistent layer.

Good quality riding can be found at higher elevations, but take your time on the descent through the trees or valley bottom exits, it is still quite rugged with a below-average snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Several loose dry and small slab avalanches were observed the past few days.

A human-triggered avalanche occurred on Video peak Saturday afternoon involving a group of 3, no injuries reported.

Last week several significant human-triggered avalanches were failing on the Dec 1st surface hoar layer. The most notable avalanches occurred on Balu Pk & Ursus Minor.

Snowpack Summary

5cm of new snow is expected by Tuesday morning. 15-25cm of recent snow and moderate winds have formed wind slabs in the alpine. Below 1800m 10-15cm of snow sits on breakable crust.

The Dec 1 surface hoar, down 50-100cm, continues to produce 'sudden' results in tests and has been the culprit in several recent close calls from skier-triggered avalanches.

Below 2100m, a rain crust is buried 40-50cm deep. In shallow areas the base of the snowpack is faceted and unsupportive.

Weather Summary

A ridge of high pressure will continue to block any significant snowfall from reaching our region. 2-5cm of new snow will fall by Tuesday morning accompanied by 20-35km/hr SW winds. Expect mainly cloudy skies with periods of sun. Temps will gradually warm up, with an alpine high of -5.

No noteworthy snowfall in the foreseeable future :(

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.

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.