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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 10th, 2025–Jan 11th, 2025

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

Regions

Glacier.

More snow fell than anticipated and is available for wind transport. The forecast shows sustained moderate winds through Saturday which will keep the hazard elevated. Look for terrain sheltered from the wind to find the best riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Numerous natural avalanches were observed during a natural cycle caused by the wind on Friday. These averaged size 3 and were running far into the runouts.

On Thursday, a few size 1-2.5 natural wind slabs & dry loose avalanches were observed from steep alpine terrain in the highway corridor.

On Monday, we observed a size 1.5 wind slab avalanche in the alpine above NRC gully on Macdonald West Shoulder, likely rider triggered.

Snowpack Summary

35cm of new snow buried a weak interface which consists of widespread surface hoar and a thin sun crust on steep westerly aspects. Strong southerly winds have redistributed this new snow in exposed terrain, loading north facing terrain.

Isolated wind slabs are buried by new snow. These can be found on all aspects in the alpine.

Overall the mid and lower snowpack is strong and well settled.

Weather Summary

The tail end of a low pressure system pushes south through the interior, bringing light snow followed by a drying trend.

Tonight Flurries. Alp Low -10, West wind 20-50km/hr. Freezing level (FZL) 900m.

Sat Flurries. Alpine high -9. West wind 15-35km/hr. FZL 800m

Sun Cloudy w/sunny periods. Alpine high -11 °C. NW wind 10 km/hr. FZL 900m.

Mon Mix of sun & cloud. Alpine high -5 °C. West winds 10-20 km/hr. FZL 500m.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for slabs before you commit to it.

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.