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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 15th, 2023–Dec 16th, 2023

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

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Weak, feathery crystals below wind-loaded snow is the main concern this weekend.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday a machine triggered size 1.5 avalanche on an east aspect at treeline was reported. It may have failed on buried surface hoar.

A few natural wind slab avalanches, size 1 to 2, were reported on Thursday on the Grizzly Plateau by the field team. These avalanches triggered additional slabs at treeline. We suspect these failed on a weak layer of surface hoar, around 25cm deep.

If you do go into the backcountry, consider submitting a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

Widespread wind-affected surfaces exist at higher elevations with roughly 30 cm of recent snow that has been redistributed by strong southwest alpine winds.

Two different surface hoar layers have been reported in the upper half of the snowpack and appear to be most prominent at treeline and below.

In general, the snowpack is still shallow for this time of year with snowpack depths at treeline ranging from 50 to 100 cm. Early season hazards are still a concern.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with trace amounts of precipitation, westerly alpine winds 30 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -6°C.

Saturday

Partly sunny with no precipitation, northwest alpine winds 20 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -6°C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow, southwest alpine winds 40 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -6°C.

Monday

Cloudy with 5 cm of snow, southerly alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -8°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.

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.