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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 29th, 2024–Dec 30th, 2024

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

Regions

South Columbia, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Choose mellow terrain that is sheltered from the wind.

Uncertainty about a persistent weak layer requires careful terrain selection.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, a very large avalanche was remotely triggered on the early December layer at 2250 m on an east-facing slope on London Ridge. See the photo below for link to the report.

On Saturday, another large avalanche was remotely triggered on the early December layer at 2280 m on a north-facing slope west of Meadow Creek.

Otherwise, numerous small to large (up to size 2) natural and rider-triggered avalanches were reported in the recent snow, especially in steep terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find 30 to 80 cm of settling snow in sheltered areas and wind slabs on lee slopes below peaks and ridgelines. On sun-affected slopes, the recent snow covers a melt-and-freeze crust.

A concerning layer of facets, crusts, and/or surface hoar is buried 60 to 120 cm. It is most likely to be a problem on north through east aspects between 1700 to 2300 m.

Treeline snow depths range from 100 to 180 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Partly cloudy with flurries, trace to 5 cm of snow. Light variable wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with flurries, up to 5 cm of snow. 5 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with flurries, 2-5 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with flurries, 2-5 cm of snow. 5 to 15 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.