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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 11th, 2020–Mar 12th, 2020

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

Regions

South Coast.

Observations in the region remain limited, so gather information about new snow depth, reactivity, and wind slab distribution as you travel. Steep leeward features at higher elevations are the most likely areas to hold reactive wind slabs.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Weather Forecast

Wednesday night: Mainly clear. Moderate northwest winds.

Thursday: Sunny with cloud increasing in the afternoon. Light northwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -7.

Friday: Mainly cloudy. Light to moderate northeast winds increasing over the day. Alpine high temperatures around -7.

Saturday: Clearing over the day. Light to moderate northeast winds. Alpine high temperatures around -9.

Avalanche Summary

Reports of avalanche activity from Tuesday's storm remain limited, however images in two MIN reports from Wednesday gives a good indication of human triggering potential in the alpine around Sky pilot. 

Looking forward, expect the new snow that accumulated over variable surfaces on Tuesday to remain reactive to human triggering over the near term around steeper slopes at higher elevations that saw more dramatic wind loading during and immediately after the storm.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of new snow from Tuesday's storm can be found in alpine and upper treeline areas of the region, with new snow amounts tapering dramatically with elevation. The new snow has buried a mix of surface hoar and melt-freeze crust that varies with elevation and aspect. The bond at this interface is expected to be gradually improving.

Just over 100 cm of snow now overlies another layer of surface hoar on north-facing aspects near and above treeline. This layer was found to be reactive in some snowpack tests last week but is now suspected to be dormant.

The remainder of the snowpack is well-settled. The snowpack depth varies from around 300 to 400 cm around 1200 to 1400 m and tapering rapidly with elevation, with no snow below 700 m.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Use small low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.

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.