Avalanche Forecast
Purcells
Fresh wind slabs are likely at higher elevations. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully as there is still limited information from this region.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
- Travel on ridgetops to avoid wind slabs on slopes below.
Avalanche Summary
A Mountain Information Network (MIN) report from the Golden area describes multiple size 1 wind slabs produced by ski cutting on Sunday. Several size 1 wind slabs were also triggered by explosives near ridge crests throughout the region over the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
Snow from last week's storms is settling and getting redistributed into fresh wind slabs by northwest winds. Roughly 20-40 cm of recent snow sits above various crusts from the warm weather in late November. Two deeper layers may be found in the snowpack, including the November 10 surface hoar and the Halloween crust (80 to 100 cm deep). The late November crust is the most likely of these layers to develop into a problem in the future. Snow depths decrease rapidly below treeline, where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks.
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY: Alpine sun and valley cloud, light wind, alpine temperatures around -7 C.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny with valley cloud, light wind, inversion forming with alpine temperatures possibly reaching above 0 C.
THURSDAY: Sunny with valley cloud, light wind, inversion with freezing level up to 3000 m.
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Wind slabs are most likely on the downwind side of ridges and gullies. Changes in wind direction may form fresh wind slabs this week.