Wind Slabs
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Possible - Likely
- Taille
- 1–2
Wind slabs will be thicker and more reactive the higher you go. Snow amounts change dramatically above 1800m.
We are through the storm and natural activity has tapered off, but the potential for large avalanches running to the valley bottom remains. These could be triggered by cornices, small avalanches or humans in the wrong spot.
Wind slabs will be thicker and more reactive the higher you go. Snow amounts change dramatically above 1800m.
As natural activity on this layer begins to slow down, it is tempting to believe the problem has passed. This layer could still be triggered by people in thinner snowpack areas, or by large triggers including cornices or smaller avalanches.
Wednesday: Light winds and a mix of sun and cloud for christmas. Alpine high -9
Thursday: Cloudy with west winds increasing through the day and a mild inversion forming.
Friday: Continued inversion with flurries and strong NW winds.
There is a highly variable snowpack across the forecast region. Generally the snowpack is wet and thin below 1800m capped by a met freeze crust. Above that, the Cameron Lake area received 85-100cm since Thursday. This sits on a weak facet/crust combo that is now down 150cm. The front ranges hold a thinner more wind affected snowpack.
A widespread natural cycle occurred this past weekend, with avalanches to size 2 in the storm snow and some larger ones failing on deep persistent weak layers. A size 3 natural avalanche occurred on Mt Bertha early Sunday morning covering the Bertha Falls trail in debris, and a similar avalanche was seen on Mt. Crandell.