Avalanche forecast

Lizard-Flathead

Jan 16, 2019Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 8 years ago

Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Some avalanche danger remains in alpine areas, in wind loaded pockets and on steep, thin/rocky slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Small pockets of wind slab could be triggered in steep, wind-affected terrain. Cornices may exist in places too.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3
    The possibility of large releases remains in shallow snowpack areas. The chance of triggering is highest on steep rocky alpine slopes that have thin and/or variable snow cover.

Confidence

-

Weather Forecast

TUESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear periods, light wind, alpine temperatures drop to -10 C.WEDNESDAY: Dry with a mix of sun and cloud, light southwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -6 C. THURSDAY: Light snowfall, roughly 4-8 cm, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.FRIDAY: Another 5 cm of snow, moderate southwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -4 C.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Tuesday or Monday.On Saturday, two large snowmobile triggered avalanches were reported on the Mountain Information Network. One was triggered on a thin, rocky, southwest facing feature near ridgecrest north of Fernie (see here for report). The photos tell a compelling story about the structurally weak snowpack that exists in many places in the region. The other was triggered on a wind affected south facing slope at treeline in the Corbin area (see here for report). We're very grateful for people sharing stories about their near misses on the MIN. A natural size 2 deep persistent slab was also observed on a south facing aspect around 2100 m on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Recent sunshine and warm alpine temperatures left crusty surfaces on solar aspects while the snow appears to have remained dry on shady aspects. Wind slabs have become difficult to trigger.In shallow snowpack areas, the base of the snowpack may still be composed of weak faceted grains. In deeper snowpack areas, the middle and lower portions of the snowpack are generally considered to be well-settled and strong.

Regions covered