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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 24th, 2017–Mar 25th, 2017

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

While human triggering is likely at treeline and above, it is still essential to manage your exposure to avalanche terrain at lower elevations: natural avalanches reaching valley bottom trails are still considered possible.

Weather Forecast

Expect 5 to 10 cm to arrive starting Friday night through Saturday as winds shift from South back to West and climb into the moderate range. Temperatures will cool to -15C values in the ALP Sunday morning with some clearing expected before the cycle repeats: winds shift back to a light South flow bringing warming and a bit more precip for Monday.

Snowpack Summary

100cm of dense, rounded snow comprises the upper half of the snowpack and sits on a variety of different foundations depending on location. In shallow areas (eg: Field ice climbs) the base is weak depth hoar. In deeper areas (eg: Little Yoho Valley), the base is rounded and stronger. Shears persist in the deep facets, and within the storm snow.

Avalanche Summary

The natural activity has begun to diminish over the last few days however daily reports of activity continue to come in with a sz 2.5 reported on the NE aspect of Mt Fatigue today near Sunshine. It appears to take only very small inputs of sun, wind or precip to trigger natural events and artificial / human triggering should be considered likely.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Friday

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.