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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 11th, 2025–Jan 12th, 2025

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Large and very large (size 2-3) natural and explosive-triggered avalanches were observed along the Klondike highway corridor on Friday.

On Wednesday and Thursday our field team observed size 1-2 storm slab avalanches and experienced whumpfing. See photo below.

On Tuesday, a remotely triggered size 2 storm slab stepped down to the persistent weak layer. Check out the MIN report.

We expect natural and human-triggered avalanches to remain possible to likely on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 70 cm of snow has accumulated in the alpine this week, with some rain at lower elevations forming a crust below 1100 m. By Sunday afternoon, up to 15 cm of new snow is expected, with freezing levels near 1000 m, potentially bringing rain below. This accumulated snow accompanied by strong southwesterly winds have created reactive storm slabs that sit on facets, and surface hoar in isolated areas.

A persistent weak layer consisting of a crust with 20 cm of facetted snow above it is buried 60 to 90 cm and extends up to 1700 m. Some recent storm slabs have stepped down to this crust, triggering large avalanches.

The rest of the snowpack is stable, with total depths of 100–180 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 0 to 10 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 0 to 7 cm of snow. 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 500 to 1000 m.

Monday

Cloudy with 0 to 7 cm of snow. 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 700 to 1000 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 10 to 25 cm of snow. The highest amounts will be near White Pass, with precipitation dissipating the further you go inland. 60 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 700 to 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.

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.

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.