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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 25th, 2021–Jan 26th, 2021

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky.

Wind slabs are likely to be encountered at upper elevations and may be reactive to human triggering, especially in lee features.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT - Mainly cloudy with a few flurries / light to moderate south wind / alpine low temperature near -10 

TUESDAY - A mix of sun and cloud / moderate southeast wind / alpine high temperature near -9 

WEDNESDAY - Mainly cloudy with a few flurries / light southeast wind / alpine high temperature near -8 

THURSDAY - Mainly cloudy with a few flurries / light southeast wind / alpine high temperature near -7 

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday there were a few size 1 dry loose avalanches reported, as well as one size 2 explosives triggered cornice avalanche.

Earlier this month, we saw significant deep persistent slab activity, both natural and human triggered. Deep glide cracks have also been observed previously but appear to be holding together in the cool temperatures.

Snowpack Summary

10-15 cm of new snow sits on a variety of old surfaces. Generally speaking, the new snow sits on firm wind slabs at upper elevations, on a crust below 1900 m and at all elevations on south-facing slopes, and on surface hoar in sheltered areas.

A crust from early December may be found around 200 cm deep in the snowpack. In shallow rocky areas, recent test results suggest that it may still be possible to trigger this layer. In deeper snowpack areas it has shown no recent results and appears to be unreactive in these areas.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • 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.