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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 13th, 2020–Nov 14th, 2020

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

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Do not rush blindly into steep, committing terrain. Our current problems are amplified when encountered in confined areas such as ice filled gullies or tight couloirs.

Weather Forecast

Saturday will bring mainly cloudy skies with isolated flurries accumulating ~2 cm of snow. Ridge top winds will average 35-50 km/hr from the West. Temps will range from -10 to -17. Sunday will see warmer temps, increasing winds (up to 100km/hr) and snow amounts in the 10-25 cm range.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10cm of new snow has fallen. Moderate Southerly winds have formed fresh wind slabs in alpine terrain. The early Nov crusts exist up to 2400m in the Icefields Parkway area and found to be up to 2700m in the Sunshine area. This crust is 5-10cm thick and found 20-40cm above the ground. At tree line the snowpack is 40-80cm deep.

Avalanche Summary

No new natural avalanche activity observed on a road patrol, but visibility was poor along 93S and 93N today.

Local ski areas reporting small spin drifts from steep rocky terrain, one skier control size 1 wind slab and several size 1 wind slabs results from explosive control.

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.

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.