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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 27th, 2021–Jan 28th, 2021

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

Regions

South Rockies.

Where winds reach more than 20 km/h and impact loose snow, fresh wind slabs are likely to form in alpine lee terrain features.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the speed, direction, or duration of the wind and its effect on the snowpack.

Weather Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries, trace to 5 cm new snow, moderate southerly winds at treeline and strong in the alpine, treeline temperatures around -10 C.

THURSDAY: A mix of sun and clouds, moderate southerly wind with strong gusts, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

FRIDAY: A mix of sun and clouds with scattered flurries, trace of new snow, light westerly wind, treeline temperatures around -6 C.

SATURDAY: A mix of sun and clouds with scattered flurries, trace of new snow, moderate southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -10 C.

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported aside from loose dry avalanches (sluffs) from steep alpine and treeline terrain from the neighboring Lizard Range forecasting area. Cornices are growing fragile with continued cold conditions faceting their bonds. 

Snowpack Summary

A few centimeters of recent snow has buried surface hoar and old surfaces. A sun crust can be found on steep solar aspects. Alpine and upper treeline terrain remains heavily wind affected from last week's strong to extreme southwest winds with scouring, sastrugi, isolated pockets of soft snow and layers of hard wind slab. A hard thick crust is found up to 1900 m. Near-surface faceting continues to slowly soften hard surfaces, promote facet growth at crust interfaces and weaken cornices. 

A solid mid-pack sits above deeply buried decomposing crust and facet layers near the bottom of the snowpack (100-150 cm deep). Avalanche activity on these layers has been sporadic and mostly triggered by large loads such as wind slab avalanches and cornice falls. Though unreactive under the current conditions, steep rocky slopes and shallow snowpacks should still be carefully assessed and approached with caution.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.