Date issued

Nov 8, 2017 - 4:00 PM

Valid until

until further notice

Prepared by

garth lemke

Marginal snow depth is barely covering ground features. Early season conditions exist.

Regular season
Thursday - November 9, 2017
Alpine

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

Treeline

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

Below Treeline
Friday - November 10, 2017
Alpine

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Treeline

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Below Treeline
Saturday - November 11, 2017
Alpine

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Treeline

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Below Treeline

Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs

What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?

This is an early winter avalanche problem that exists in isolated pockets where the snow has drifted into small wind slabs and the slope is steep enough to slide. Mainly a concern for ice climbers in steep gullies or walking above cliffs.

Travel and Terrain Advice
  • Avoid terrain traps, such as gullies, where the consequences of a small avalanche could be serious.
  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets while approaching and climbing ice routes.

Avalanche Problem 2: Loose Dry

What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?

Avoid terrain traps or steep SW overhead terrain where sun could initiate an avalanche. Likely a short lived afternoon problem being days are short and sun is relatively weak.

Travel and Terrain Advice
  • Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.

Avalanche Summary

Steep SW slopes along Medicine lake up to 2500m releasing with solar on Wednesday starting as point release to ground. Some point releases initiated 10-15cm wide 30cm deep thin slab lower down. This was enough snow to entrain in features making them up to size 2. Small avalanches over rocky terrain, cliffs, or in terrain traps would be serious.

Snowpack Summary

up to 2100m a spotty Oct 17 crust exists 10cm up from ground. It maybe lower elevations on N aspects. Oct 31 crust is 10cm down from surface above 2000m. Above 2000m 30cm plus is expected yet distribution varies with aspect, elevation, and wind exposure. Treeline, alpine gully features, and some lee alpine slopes will be wind loaded. 

Weather Forecast

Thursday will be 1900m freezing level, light SW winds, none to possibly light flurries snow, and some sun. No significant snow is forecast for a few days. Temperatures are warming Thursday particularly on SW aspects if the sun comes out. 

Danger Ratings Explained

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

3 - Considerable

Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential.

Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely.

Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas.

4 - High

Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended.

Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely.

Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas.

5 - Extreme

Avoid all avalanche terrain.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain.

Large to very large avalanches in many areas.

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