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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 24th, 2021–Nov 25th, 2021

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

Kootenay Boundary.

Find the best riding in areas sheltered from the wind. Watch for fresh snow and wind building slabs at upper elevations.

Confidence

Low - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

Wednesday night: Increasing clouds and isolated flurries, trace to 5 cm accumulation. Southwest winds 20-40 km/hr. Alpine temperature low -5C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Thursday: Flurries, up to 15 cm accumulating by the end of the day. Southwest winds, 35-45 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -4C. Freezing level rising to 1200 m.

Friday: Overnight flurries and snow, 5-20 cm by Friday morning. Southwest winds, 30-50 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -3C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with flurries starting during the day. Southwest winds 10-20 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -2C. Freezing level 1400 m and rising.

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanche observations. Note we have very few field observations this early in the season. 

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of loose snow has been impacted by wind and redistributed around ridges and lee features. In areas that had a sunny Monday (Nov 22), a thin sun crust formed on solar-facing slopes up to 2000 m. 

The mid-November crust is down 10-30 cm and up to 10 cm thick. At the bottom of the snowpack, up to 20 cm of facetted snow may be found.

Snowpack depths at treeline range from 40-100 cm, with alpine depths exceeding 150 cm in areas. Below 1700 m, snowpack depths decrease rapidly.

Early season hazards are very real right now at all elevations, be wary of thin/shallow snowpacks, rocks, stumps, creeks, and other sharks hidden under a dusting of fresh snow.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.

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.