Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Dec 9 – 10, 2015Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
No rating
Treeline
No rating
Below
No rating
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Highlights

The slopes with the best riding conditions are also the most dangerous - wind-loaded alpine slopes

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Fresh snow will likely be sensitive to human triggers throughout the forecast period. Slabs will be particularly deep and weak on the downwind side of ridge crests and other similar terrain breaks.

Confidence

Low - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Thursday: Increasing cloud with light snowfall in the afternoon bringing trace amounts. Freezing level in valley bottoms and light increasing to moderate westerly ridgetop winds. Friday: A mix of sun and cloud with a chance of light snow flurries. Freeing level near valley bottoms and light southwesterly winds. Saturday: Increasing cloud and wind with flurries in the afternoon and freezing level remaining in valley bottoms.

Avalanche Summary

Reports from Monday are limited, but include an isolated explosive-triggered Size 1 wind slab avalanche.

Snowpack Summary

Continued snowfall brings total treeline snowpack depths to around a metre, with even more in the alpine, but it diminishes quickly below treeline. Recent storm and wind slabs, probably 30-50 cm thick, are bonding poorly to the old snow surface buried early December,  which is probably a crust and/or a combination of facets and buried surface hoar. Below that a thick layer of facets is probably bonding poorly to the thick mid-November crust. We're receiving very little information from the region, so please consider sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network.

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