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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 9th, 2023–Apr 10th, 2023

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

Regions

Glacier.

A spring storm is upon us, bringing up to 40cm to the Alpine and rain to lower elevations. Expect wild variability as you transition through elevation bands, from wet heavy slop to dry fluff and dense slab.

Be conservative in your terrain choices... your best option may be to slide into that neon onesie and shred laps at your local ski resort until your quads explode.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday a group remotely triggered the glacier roll, adjacent to the Cleaver, from below. The last person in the group of 4 was caught and carried for ~50m. They were partially buried, sustained a broken leg and lost some equipment.

As the storm continues, avalanche activity is expected to increase Sunday night into Monday.

Snowpack Summary

~25cm of new snow expected in the alpine will bring the weekly total to ~60cm, with 5-10cm of wet snow at the valley bottom.

The March 31 interface is buried ~60cm down and consists of a crust on solar aspects and a facet/surface hoar combo on polar aspects.

The snowpack is generally strong. However, the basal weakness from November can still be found near the ground in many locations. It may be possible for this layer to become active during this storm cycle.

Weather Summary

Spring pow continues with up to 20cm of new snow by Monday morning and another 15-20cm by Tuesday morning. The new snow is accompanied by strong SW winds, 30-70km/hr. Freezing levels may rise up to ~2200m with an alpine high of -2.

By Wednesday, the temps will drop, winds will decrease and any chance of new snow will dissipate.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
  • If triggered loose wet avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.