December 25, 2007
December 25, 2007
Alpine: Moderate
Treeline: Moderate
Below Treeline: Low
Travel Advisory: The past few days storm snow is bonding well to the upper snowpack. The Dec 4th rain crust is buried anywhere from 60-150cm deep on some lee slopes, but it has still been very much in evidence on some ridgelines and windward slopes.
Avalanche Activity: Ski cutting and explosive testing carried out yesterday produced isolated size slabs in specific terrain features or with cornice drops. In the past week several anomalies stepped down to the Dec 4 crust and facet layer that is buried up to 150cm below the surface. With the forecasted winds and snow we may see slabs reacting to the weight of a skier by the end of the day.
Snowpack: The December 4th raincrust is gradually getting buried deeper, 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 snow and facetted crystals. These layers can be expected to be a persistent weakness in some areas for some time to come. Shallow rocky terrain has a weak and facetted snowpack and may produce deeper slab avalanches with sufficient loading. The upper snowpack is various layers of storm and wind transported snow that seems to be bonding well.
Weather: 10-15cm of snow with strong alpine winds today as another front passes through our area. A day of ridging tomorrow before more unsettled weather on Thursday.
Alpine: Moderate
Treeline: Moderate
Below Treeline: Low
Travel Advisory: The past few days storm snow is bonding well to the upper snowpack. The Dec 4th rain crust is buried anywhere from 60-150cm deep on some lee slopes, but it has still been very much in evidence on some ridgelines and windward slopes.
Avalanche Activity: Ski cutting and explosive testing carried out yesterday produced isolated size slabs in specific terrain features or with cornice drops. In the past week several anomalies stepped down to the Dec 4 crust and facet layer that is buried up to 150cm below the surface. With the forecasted winds and snow we may see slabs reacting to the weight of a skier by the end of the day.
Snowpack: The December 4th raincrust is gradually getting buried deeper, 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 snow and facetted crystals. These layers can be expected to be a persistent weakness in some areas for some time to come. Shallow rocky terrain has a weak and facetted snowpack and may produce deeper slab avalanches with sufficient loading. The upper snowpack is various layers of storm and wind transported snow that seems to be bonding well.
Weather: 10-15cm of snow with strong alpine winds today as another front passes through our area. A day of ridging tomorrow before more unsettled weather on Thursday.
