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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 14th, 2020–Feb 17th, 2020

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

Regions

Yukon.

Really good riding has been reported in this region. Avalanche conditions are favourable provided you carefully assess exposed, wind-affected slopes. 

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Friday night: Cloudy. Maybe a few flurries. Temperatures around -14C. Light northwesterly winds.

Saturday: Flurries with no significant accumulation. Light or moderate westerly winds. Temperatures around -12C.

Sunday: 2-5 cm new snow with light southwesterly winds. Temperatures around -12C.

Monday: Flurries. Moderate southwesterly winds. Temperatures around -8C.

Avalanche Summary

Surprisingly little avalanche activity was noted following the storm from the start of this week, except for the paths above the highway south of Carcross.

Triggering an avalanche is getting hard under the current conditions, but the most likely terrain where one could be is wind-affected slopes in the alpine.

Snowpack Summary

Wind slabs are mostly several days old and are becoming difficult to trigger. In most locations the surface snow is well bonded, the exception being high alpine ridges that have remained windy where hard slabs might grade from thin to thick. There is reported to be excellent powder and riding in more wind protected / sheltered areas.

Snow depths at White Pass are around 160 cm at our wind protected Fraser study plot. Deeper locations (higher terrain west of the highway) have more than 200 cm, while on the east of the highway depths are around 185 cm. It's reasonable to expect a thin snowpack composed mainly of sugary facets in the Wheaton Valley, and thinner wind-scoured alpine areas.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

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.