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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 23rd, 2011–Dec 24th, 2011

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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 Rockies.

Confidence

Fair - Due to variable snopack conditions

Weather Forecast

Saturday: Expect mixed skies with strong westerly ridgetop winds. Some localized flurries are possible, especially towards the Crowsnest Pass and in northern parts of the region. Highs near 0. Sunday & Monday: Mostly clear, with occasional cloudy periods. Moderate to strong winds from the west-southwest with temperatures reaching -2 in the afternoons.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches. Nearby (in the Lizard Range) there were 2 incidents reported yesterday. Check out the incidents through these links: https://bit.ly/uBRvLX https://bit.ly/rE20wh

Snowpack Summary

Westerly winds continue, creating windslabs on lee locations in the alpine and open treeline. A buried layer of surface hoar lies approximately 20 cm below the snow surface. Reports indicate this layer was blown around before it was buried and can only be found in isolated, sheltered locations at and below treeline. A well settled mid pack bridges over the basal weaknesses at the ground. This lower layer was responsible for some large releases earlier in the season but we haven't seen any action on it lately. Worth keeping in the back of your mind around shallow snowpack areas where the bridging could be weaker.

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.

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.