Avalanche forecast

Kootenay Boundary

Dec 11 – 12, 2013Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Light amounts of new snow and wind may create new windslabs at higher elevations adding to an existing windslab problem. Watch for triggering in gullies and behind ridge crests.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–4
    A weak interface buried at the end of November is now buried by up to 70cm of snow. Triggering this layer may be more likely in steep, unsupported terrain, and in areas where the overlying snow has settled into a cohesive slab

Confidence

Fair - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Thursday: Light snowfall / Moderate to strong westerly winds / Freezing level at valley bottomFriday: Flurries / Moderate northwesterly winds / Freezing level at 1000mSaturday: Light snowfall / Moderate southerly winds / Freezing level at 1000m

Avalanche Summary

Small wind slab avalanches have been observed at treeline and in the alpine around Nelson and in the Kootenay Pass area.

Snowpack Summary

Dribs and drabs of recent snowfall now overlie generally faceted surfaces that formed during the recent cold snap. At the same buried interface you may find small surface hoar on sheltered slopes or windslabs in exposed alpine terrain. Between 50 and 70cm below the surface you may find a weak layer of surface hoar on sheltered north facing slopes and a crust on steep solar aspects. In some areas the overlying snowpack has not yet settled into a cohesive slab required for significant propagation. There are reports of a deeply buried early season crust that formed in October, this layer is more likely to be found in the high alpine on northerly aspects. Little is known about its reactivity in this region.

Regions covered