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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 13th, 2023–Dec 14th, 2023

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

Regions

North Rockies, Sugarbowl, East Kakwa, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Fresh and reactive wind slabs may exist on northeasterly aspects at treeline and above.

Recent storm snow and buried weak layers may be reactive to human triggering.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

A new surface crust may exist at all elevations. Strong winds have likely stripped available snow from south and west-facing slopes, redistributing it onto north and east-facing terrain features.

A concerning layer of surface hoar can be found around 30-50 cm deep.

A crust with sugary facets beneath it can be found just above the ground. The snowpack is still shallow for this time of year. Average snowpack depths at treeline range from 65 to 90 cm.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mix of cloud and clear skies. Alpine wind 20-35 km/h from the south and temperatures near -8 C. Freezing levels drop back to valley bottom.

Thursday/ Friday

Mainly clear with possible valley clouds in some locations. Ridgetop wind 30 to 40 km/h and temperatures near -6 C. Freezing levels at valley bottom.

Saturday

Change is in the air. New snow 10-25 cm with ridgetop winds 40-65 km/h from the west. Freezing levels rise to 1500m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.

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.

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.