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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 30th, 2021–Dec 31st, 2021

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

Regions

Jasper.

Building windslabs and irregular reactivity on deep instabilities is dampening our overall confidence in the snowpack, stay attentive to changes in slab consistency; underfoot, and in overhead terrain!

Weather Forecast

A little precip. and more reasonable winter temps expected into the weekend before we move back into another cold, high pressure.

Friday: Sunny with cloudy periods. Temp: High -21 C. Light ridge wind.

Saturday: Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Trace of new. Low -29 C, High -21 C. Wind SW: 20 km/h. Alpine temperature inversion.

Snowpack Summary

Cold temps are penetrating deep into the upper snowpack, promoting widespread faceting. Pockets of wind slab are present on all aspects, tree line and above. The mid-pack is supportive with the Dec 1 interface down ~40 cm in most locations. Basal faceting continues below the Nov 5 crust potentially amplifying the deep persistent slab problem.

Avalanche Summary

Minimal natural activity observed on patrol. A large avalanche was seen mid-week in steep, shallow and rocky terrain. View min report here.

There has been inconsistence natural activity on the Nov 5 basal layer. When triggered, the slides are large and destructive. It's not yet open season, remain cautious and analytical when choosing your line.

Confidence

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.

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.