Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Glacier National Park
A spotty surface hoar layer is buried by a settling slab.
Pay attention to cracking and whumphing as you travel.
Avalanche Problem 1: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for whumpfing, hollow sounds, and shooting cracks.
- Use conservative route selection, choose moderate angled and supported terrain with low consequence.
Avalanche Problem 2: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Moderate variable winds are forming reverse loaded wind slabs in wind exposed areas in the Alpine and at tree line. These slabs may have surface hoar or crust underneath leading them to be sensitive to human triggering.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Keep an eye out for reverse loading created by N-NE winds.
- Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, or cracking.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous natural avalanches over the past few days up to sz 2.5 from steep terrain. The artillery control shoot earlier in the week produced avalanches to size 3 that were showing wide propagation in the start zones where the slab was cohesive.
Snowpack Summary
40-50cm of settling snow sits on the Dec 15 surface hoar, persistent weak layer. On steeper solar aspects this layer is a crust and/or a crust with small surface hoar on top. In the alpine variable winds have been redistributing recent snow. Deeper in the snowpack there are a series of crust layers that are currently bonding well.
Weather Forecast
A strong ridge of high pressure is sitting over much of BC giving us clear sunny skies. The winds will be from the West in the15-25km/hr range with an Alpine high of -18C... bbrrr thats cold, bring an extra layer or two! The ridge of high pressure looks like it will persist until later next week, with no snow in the forecast until next Friday.
Avalanche Forecasts in your Inbox
Avalanche Canada has switched to an RSS feed for its daily forecasts. This is a much more flexible method that allows automatic delivery to your email inbox, or to an RSS reader of your choice.
What are RSS feeds?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a popular standardized file format allowing up-to-date delivery of web-based content. RSS feeds enable you to receive content updates from websites, delivered to your email through an RSS aggregator (such as blogtrottr.com) or viewed through applications called RSS readers (such as feedly.com).
Set up an RSS feed for your email:
Select a RSS aggregator
- Avalanche Bulletin - Glacier National Park URL:
http://www.avalanche.ca/api/forecasts/glacier.rss - Copy the url and paste it into the appropriate field of your RSS aggregator.
- Fill in your email address.
- Voila! Watch the Avalanche Canada forecast roll into your inbox.
Forecast Disclaimer
Avalanche Canada's Public Avalanche Bulletin, and other information and services provided by Avalanche Canada, are intended for personal and recreational purposes only.
**THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND IN NO EVENT SHALL THE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES RESULTING FROM DISCOMFORT, INJURY, OR DEATH, CLAIMS BY THIRD PARTIES OR FOR OTHER SIMILAR COSTS, OR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.**
The user acknowledges that it is impossible to accurately predict natural events such as avalanches in every instance, and uses the data in this bulletin with this always foremost in mind. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and the Providers disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use the data.
Recent storm snow is settling into a persistent slab. Expect the slab to be more sensitive as you transition into steep and/or wind effected terrain. South and West aspects have a thin crust layer below the slab and a facet/surface hoar combo BTL.