Sea To Sky

Keep your guard up in steep open terrain! Recent snow has been slow to bond to underlying weak layers.

Since Sunday there have been steady reports of size 1 (and some size 2) natural and human triggered slab avalanches. These have occurred on a variety of aspects at treeline and alpine elevations, with some avalanches failing on surface hoar and running on crusts.

Sun and wind are creating variable surface conditions. Exposed terrain is being scoured by northeast wind and forming small wind slabs on south and west facing slopes. Roughly 30 cm of snow sits above large surface hoar and/or faceted crystals in wind-sheltered terrain at treeline and above.

A widespread, supportive crust exists 30 to 40 cm below the surface. The snowpack is strong and bonded below this crust.

Wednesday Night

Clear skies. 40 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Thursday

Sunny. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Friday

Sunny with increasing cloud in the afternoon. 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Start on smaller terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger terrain.
• Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
• Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.