Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Glacier National Park
Continued elevated danger of skier and rider triggered avalanches today. It is time for very conservative route selection.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm 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: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
The Dec 15th PWL is widespread around tree line and below tree line, buried ~100cm. Previous warm temps have slabbed up the upper snow pack. This interface is reactive with skier remote slides Wednesday and a skier buried in a terrain trap on Monday.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be aware of the potential for wide propagations.
- If triggered the storm/wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Avalanche Summary
Several reports of skier triggered slides occurred yesterday. A size 2 slide at the top of Grizzly Shoulder, East aspect and 30 degree slope was 80m wide, 40cm deep and ran 80m down slope. A remote triggered size 1.5 slide at 1750m 1m deep, 25m wide and ran for 150m taking out part of the ski track. Several slides to size 2.5 in hwy corridor.
Snowpack Summary
We have three buried surface hoar layers two of which are touchy and sensitive to human triggering. Jan 4th surface hoar is down ~45cm and the Dec 15 surface hoar Persistent Weak Layer down ~100cm are ripe and ready to slide. Snowpack tests show propagation potential with sudden planar results on the Jan 4 and Dec15 layers.
Weather Forecast
Cloudy with sunny periods and an alpine high of -10C today. Scattered flurries with a slowly rising freezing level and warming trend into the weekend. Potential for another 10cm of snow by Saturday. This additional load and warming will keep the snowpack weak layers touchy.
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.
45cm of recent storm snow has settled into a slab. The Jan 4 surface hoar is down ~45cm and found to be up to 15mm in size. If triggered, avalanches could step down to the Dec 15th PWL with potential for large avalanches.