December 17, 2007
December 17, 2007
Alpine: Considerable
Treeline: Considerable
Below Treeline: Considerable
Travel Advisory: We received 25 cm of new snow overnight and 37 cm in the last 36 hours. The snow was accompanied by strong winds from the E and SE. The snow in the alpine terrain is somewhat wind affected, but softens as you drop down in elevation. The loading is extremely variable depending on aspect and elevation, and the early December crust is still very evident on the ridgelines and windward slopes in the alpine. In rocky terrain where the snowpack is shallow, the snow is rotten and sugary – be careful if you are traveling under rockbands, as the snow may not support your weight.
Avalanche Activity: Ski cutting and explosive testing carried out today produced numerous avalanches to size 2.0 that were running for the most part in the storm snow. One anomaly ran down to the Dec 4 raincrust. The slab was easily triggered and ski cutting appeared to be the most effective control method. Earlier in the week there were reports of some isolated deeper slab releases that were pulling down to the early November crust.
Snowpack: The December 4th raincrust is getting buried, but can still be found on the surface in some wind affected terrain. Depending on aspect and elevation there is a variety of layers sitting above the crust, including lower density storm and facetted crystals. As previously mentioned rocky terrain has a facetted snowpack and may produce deeper slab avalanches when a sufficient load arrives.
Weather: We should see flurries today and tonight. Winds are expected to be moderate from the south with the freezing level remaining at the valley bottom. Periods of snow are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday with flurries on Thursday.
Alpine: Considerable
Treeline: Considerable
Below Treeline: Considerable
Travel Advisory: We received 25 cm of new snow overnight and 37 cm in the last 36 hours. The snow was accompanied by strong winds from the E and SE. The snow in the alpine terrain is somewhat wind affected, but softens as you drop down in elevation. The loading is extremely variable depending on aspect and elevation, and the early December crust is still very evident on the ridgelines and windward slopes in the alpine. In rocky terrain where the snowpack is shallow, the snow is rotten and sugary – be careful if you are traveling under rockbands, as the snow may not support your weight.
Avalanche Activity: Ski cutting and explosive testing carried out today produced numerous avalanches to size 2.0 that were running for the most part in the storm snow. One anomaly ran down to the Dec 4 raincrust. The slab was easily triggered and ski cutting appeared to be the most effective control method. Earlier in the week there were reports of some isolated deeper slab releases that were pulling down to the early November crust.
Snowpack: The December 4th raincrust is getting buried, but can still be found on the surface in some wind affected terrain. Depending on aspect and elevation there is a variety of layers sitting above the crust, including lower density storm and facetted crystals. As previously mentioned rocky terrain has a facetted snowpack and may produce deeper slab avalanches when a sufficient load arrives.
Weather: We should see flurries today and tonight. Winds are expected to be moderate from the south with the freezing level remaining at the valley bottom. Periods of snow are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday with flurries on Thursday.
