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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 13th, 2018–Feb 14th, 2018

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

Regions

Glacier.

Be wary of what's above you and cognisant of other groups below. Cornices have been failing and skiers have remotely triggered large avalanches in popular areas.

Weather Forecast

Unsettled weather approaches Rogers Pass today, bringing with it flurries, cool temps and strong winds. We can expect only 5cm by 4pm, -10 in the Alpine and SW winds. Most our forecasted snow will fall overnight, strong winds will continue and freezing levels will stay at valley bottom.

Snowpack Summary

80cm of storm snow fell in the last week with above average temperatures and strong winds. Wind slabs are lurking in the alpine and in exposed areas at treeline. Persistent weak layers are now buried 150-200cm in the snowpack. Snow depth of 325cm at treeline. Surface sun crust can be expected on steeper solar aspects.

Avalanche Summary

6 avalanches in the HWY corridor occurred yesterday to size 3. Character ranged from loose dry to cornice failures and persistent slabs. The most notable was a skier remote size 3. Skiers were ascending MacDonald West Shoulder #4, adjacent to NRC Gully, when they remotely triggered a size 3.0. It was 50-120cm deep, 200m wide and ran for 1.6km.

Confidence

Due to the number of field observations

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.