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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 12th, 2016–Dec 13th, 2016

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Little Yoho.

The valley bottom snowpack in Little Yoho remains shallow, so any skiing at Emerald Lake or Mt. Field will need to content with the bushes at low elevations - but higher up is probably quite good. Look here to see the developing faceted snowpack.

Weather Forecast

Severe clear and cold for the week - with a brief burst of snowfall on Thursday as the edge of the arctic air moves through town and back again. Expect Tuesday's temperatures to range from -15 to -25 and some forecasts are showing NW winds rising in alpine areas. Look for sunny, sheltered locations to stay warm - its really cold out there!

Snowpack Summary

5 cm of new snow overlies a mostly facetted snowpack that is growing weaker each day with these cold temperatures. Profiles today near Sunshine Village showed loose facets in the upper 30 cm, which have no cohesion and are creating the Loose Dry problem. Also 40 cm above the ground is the Nov 12 crust, also growing weaker each day.

Avalanche Summary

No significant slab avalanches reported or observed in the past 5 days, but loose dry skier triggered avalanches in steep terrain have been reported in several locations over the past few days. This is a result of the surface faceting that is occurring under these cold temperatures as the surface snow weakens and looses cohesion.

Confidence

Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Thursday

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.