Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 2nd, 2023–Jan 3rd, 2023

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

The persistent weak layer is present at all elevations. If triggered it could result in large destructive avalanches. Conservative terrain choices are recommended.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

In the past few days, we received several reports of previous natural avalanches up to size 2.5. These avalanches released in the facet layer produced during the recent period of arctic air. These avalanches have occurred at all elevations and on a variety of aspects.

Check out this MIN report from our field team for some photos and a good summary of this type of activity.

If you are headed out into the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

30-40 cm of snow has been redistributed into wind slabs in exposed terrain at treeline and above. In non-wind-affected terrain this recent snow sits on a layer of facets formed during the period of arctic air. Below treeline a thin crust can likely be found at or near the surface.

A surface hoar and facet layer from early December, while spotty, can still be found down around 60cm.

Snowpack depths are highly variable throughout the region.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Mainly cloudy with clear periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Southerly ridgetop winds 30-50 km/h. A low of -6 at 1500m. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Tuesday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, a few centimeters of accumulation. Ridgetop winds southerly 20 km/h. A high of -4 at 1500m. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Ridgetop winds southerly 20 km/h. A high of -5 at 1500m. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop winds southerly 20 km/h. A high of -6 at 1500m. Freezing levels valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

In times of uncertainty conservative terrain choices are our best defense.
Avoid making assumptions about this layer based on the presence of aggressive tracks on adjacent slopes
Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

Problems

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.

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.