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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 5th, 2017–Dec 6th, 2017

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary.

The lure of powder slopes and sunny skies will be strong as the weather clears. Take a cautious approach towards more aggressive terrain - especially steep, wind-affected terrain.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

We're looking at fine weather for the foreseeable future. Temperatures will warm significantly starting Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday: Sunny. Light northerly winds. Freezing levels rising to 2500m by the end of the day.Thursday: Sunny and warm. Freezing levels around 3300 m. Light northwesterly winds.Friday: Sunny and warm. Freezing levels 3200m. Light northerly winds.

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday we had reports of natural Size 2 to 2.5 wind slab avalanches in the alpine, as a result of the 'reverse loading' pattern caused by north west winds. On Sunday we had reports of natural and skier triggered storm slab avalanches to Size 2 near Nelson. See here for the MIN report. On Saturday a Size 1 skier-triggered avalanche was reported on an unsupported steep gully feature near Nelson. See here for the MIN report. We currently have very limited observations in this region. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

30 - 50cm of new snow has fallen in the past week. At higher elevations, north west winds redistributed the snow, forming wind slabs on down wind (lee) features.Below the recent storm snow you'll likely find a couple of widespread crusts (2 to 5 cm thick) which formed as a result of late November's rain. The depth of the snowpack varies greatly with elevation. Recent reports suggest the average depth is 100-170cm in the alpine, 50-100cm at tree line, and decreasing rapidly below tree line where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks. We currently have very limited snowpack observations within this region and it is critical to supplement this information with your own observations.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.