Archived

Avalanche Forecast

Nov 13th, 2018–Nov 14th, 2018

Alpine

2: Moderate

The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate

Treeline

1: Low

The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be low

Below Treeline

Below Threshold

The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be below threshold

Alpine

2: Moderate

The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate

Treeline

2: Moderate

The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate

Below Treeline

Below Threshold

The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be below threshold

Alpine

3: Considerable

The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be considerable

Treeline

2: Moderate

The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate

Below Treeline

1: Low

The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be low

Regions: Glacier.

Good early season riding exists at higher elevations but now is not the time to charge your way into the line. Creeks, rocks and logs hide just beneath the surface and could put an early end to your season.

Weather Forecast

A mix of sun and cloud today with ridge top winds reaching 30km/hr and a freezing level rising to 1400m. A pacific storm pushes inland this evening and will bring 10-20cm of snow by Wednesday night with an additional 20cm on Thursday. Expect winds to increase with the incoming storm.

Snowpack Summary

Snow depths vary from 30cm at Rogers Pass, to 130-150cm in alpine areas. Sheltered areas at and above tree-line are holding unconsolidated snow, but pockets of wind-slab exist in immediate lee areas. A melt-freeze crust in the bottom 50cm of the snowpack is an early layer of concern, especially in the alpine on open, planar slopes.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed in the highway corridor or reported from the backcountry in the last 24 hours.

Confidence

Avalanche Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

The late October crust sits near the bottom of the snowpack and is producing sudden planar and sudden collapse results. Assess this layer before committing to a line. At higher elevations a buried facet layer exists from the September snow.

If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size: 1.5 - 3

Wind Slabs

Use caution when entering slopes and on cross-loaded alpine features. Isolated wind slabs may be hidden by the recent 10-15cm of low density storm snow.

Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size: 1 - 2