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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 12th, 2017–Dec 13th, 2017

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

Regions

Lizard-Flathead.

Isolated wind slabs may be found at upper elevations. Good quality riding can be found on sheltered, shady slopes.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. Alpine temperatures near -6 and freezing levels at valley bottom. Ridgetop winds light from the west.Thursday: Cloudy with alpine temperatures near -8 . Ridgetop winds light from the west. Friday: Cloudy with sunny periods and possible flurries. Alpine temperatures near -5 and light-moderate ridgetop winds from the southwest.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed on Tuesday.Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

A variety of snow surfaces exist throughout the region. Stiff wind slabs sit on a wide range of aspects on alpine and exposed treeline slopes. In sheltered treeline and below treeline terrain, I suspect light amounts of low-density snow intermingle with surface hoar and surface facets (sugary snow).Roughly 30-60 cm below the surface you'll likely find a hard crust that was buried near the end of November. This crust is approximately 30 cm thick and extends from 1600 m to mountain top on all aspects. Below this crust, the snowpack is moist to ground. Average snowpack depths at treeline elevations in the region range from 80-120 cm.

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.