January 25, 2015 - GULMARG AVALANCHE ADVISORY

Backcountry Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Conditions for Gulmarg 25.1.2015

ALPINE 3,000 to 4,000m – CONSIDERABLE

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

BELOW TREELINE Below 3,000m – LOW

DangerScale_Icons — LOW – Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Primary Problem

A persistent slab is any slab formed over a persistent weak layer, in our case, surface hoar. These slabs are hard to predict, often are triggered from the middle or low on the slab, and can propagate over large areas and across terrain features traditionally thought of as safe zones, like ridges, benches, and low angle terrain. The problem can last for weeks or months.

Snowpack discussion

We are planning to open phase 2 today for access to the ski area.

The backcontry avalanche danger rating for the alpine today is considerable, and low below tree line. A better word for considerable is serious. We have serious avalanche danger in the alpine right now. Persistent slab is the problem, with >40cm of snow sitting on top of surface hoar in many alpine and below tree line areas. Likely slopes are NW, N, NE, and E – facing sheltered aspects. Yesterday’s control work showed lessening reactivity, but the danger still lurks. Travel in the backcountry above tree line today is dangerous. The last storm deposited deep wind slabs near ridgelines on isolated leeward slopes.

Weather Discussion for 3000m Partly cloudy with light winds today. Next snowfall is forecasted for Thursday.

Daily backcountry avalanche advisory for the Gulmarg community. Advisories are built from real time and snowpit data by Snow Safety Officer Luke Smithwick. A service provided by the Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Department.