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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2025–Jan 5th, 2025

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

West winds are forecast to reach the moderate range in the alpine overnight Saturday. With up to 40cm of recent snow available for transport, expect fresh slabs on Sunday coupled with some loose dry avalanche activity.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Some small loose dry avalanches out of steep terrain on were observed on Friday.

Also on Friday, in the neighboring BYK region, there was evidence of a large deep avalanche off of Mount Lefroy North East face. This was observed on Jan 3rd but is believed to be 24-48 hours old.

Snowpack Summary

25-45 cm unconsolidated snow makes up the surface of a 120-150 cm snowpack at treeline while 140-175cm can be found in the alpine. The mid-pack is generally strong but a weak crust/facet layer can often be found near the ground, particularly in shallower areas. Conditions within the Little Yoho Region are much better than areas further east in BYK. See the attached snow profile.

Weather Summary

A trough will push east towards the region Saturday evening before the competing high pressure over the prairies pushes back west Sunday.

Winds will increase into the moderate range late Saturday with trace amounts of new snow overnight before winds shift northwest to bring clearing and a bit of cooling through Sunday.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

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.