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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 16th, 2025–Jan 17th, 2025

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Stick to simple terrain and avoid overhead slopes. It's possible to remote-trigger very large avalanches from long distances away.

Check out this MIN report showcasing a recent avalanche.

 

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, the Yukon Team via snowmobile remotely triggered a large (size 3) persistent slab avalanche from 100 m away near Bryant Lake. It was triggered from flat terrain at the col on an ENE aspect at 1500 m. The crown depth was 1 to 2 m, the width was 400 m and it ran 400 m down slope. It slid on the December facet/ crust interface.

A natural avalanche cycle up to size 3 occurred during the storm earlier in the week.

Human-triggered avalanches remain likely on Friday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 40 cm of storm snow has been redistributed by strong southwest winds building thick wind slabs on leeward slopes.

A persistent weak layer consisting of a crust with faceted snow above it is buried 60 to 100 cm, and extends up to 1750 m. Recent snowpack tests have shown moderate results with sudden collapse behaviour. A large (size 3) remotely triggered avalanche is an indicator that this persistent slab is reactive.

Total snow depths are around 160–190 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Clear. 15 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud. 15 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Strong alpine above freezing layer.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.

Problems

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.

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.