Sea To Sky

Seek out wind-sheltered terrain where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.

On Thursday skiers triggered several small size 1 slabs at treeline and below. Several small loose dry and loose wet sluffs were also observed.

On Wednesday, riders triggered a few small size 1 wind slabs in several areas.

A large (size 2) natural slab was reported on Tuesday, failing on a sun-affected slope. Skiers also ski cut a few small wind slabs in wind-affected terrain.

Looking forward, we expect triggering wind slabs to remain possible.

Upper elevations have had some wind-effect and wind slabs may be found near ridgetops. Steep sunny slopes may be moist or have a thin surface crust, shady slopes are growing surface hoar. 30 to 50 cm of storm snow from last weekend has remained dry and powdery with the cold temperatures. This snow is sitting on a weak layer that developed in late January: In most areas, it is a hard slippery crust, however, on shady, upper-elevation slopes, it may be faceted grains or surface hoar. This layer only seems to be a problem where the snow has consolidated into a slab overtop, such as in wind-affected areas. The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and bonded with no other layers of concern.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy. 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Sunday

Sunny. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

Monday

Sunny. 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
• Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.