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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 5th, 2024–Jan 6th, 2024

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

Regions

North Rockies, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson.

Assess steep slopes at upper elevations for new wind slabs. Ongoing snowfall could keep the wind slab problem reactive.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in the region, however there are currently very few field observations.

If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of new snow with southerly winds will continue to form wind slabs on lee features at upper elevations. This new snow sits over a crust up to 1400 m on all aspects.

Two layers of surface hoar can be found in the top meter of the snowpack at treeline. These layers are generally no longer a concern, the exception being shallow rocky areas at upper treeline.

The current snowpack has considerable variation in structure and depths across the region and is shallow for this time of year.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow expected, southwest alpine wind 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperature -6°C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud with a few centimeters of new snow expected, west alpine wind 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperature -7°C.

Sunday

Mostly sunny with no new snow expected, west alpine wind 15 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -14°C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow expected, west alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -11°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind loaded snow.

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.