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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 19th, 2025–Jan 20th, 2025

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

North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Wind slabs may remain reactive to riders.

Recent avalanches on the buried weak layer bring uncertainty. Stick to low angle, supported terrain, free from overhead hazard.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday a size 2 rider triggered avalanche occurred on an east facing alpine slope. Notably, the avalanche was triggered as a wind slab and stepped down to the buried weak layer. Photo below.

Large avalanches have been observed in several areas, however the timing of them is uncertain - likely they occurred during the storm. Check out this Hankin MIN, and Blunt MIN for more.

Natural activity may have tapered but the snowpack may remain sensitive to human triggering.

Snowpack Summary

20 cm of recent storm snow has been wind affected in exposed areas. A crust exists below 1250 m, with a reportedly poor bond to the recent storm snow.

A weak layer of facets and a crust is buried 50 to 100 cm deep. This has shown reactivity with the new load from wind and snow.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly clear. 20 to 30 km/h westerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Monday

Partly cloudy with flurries. 50 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

Partly cloudy. 40 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 5 cm of snow. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.

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.