South Coast Inland

Start with simple terrain as you gather information about reactive wind slabs.

These slabs could step down to deeper layers creating larger than expected avalanches.

On Monday, numerous naturally occurring size 1 to 2 wind slabs and cornice falls were observed across the region, as well as one size 1.5 rider-triggered avalanche.

On Sunday, riders reported shooting cracks and small reactive wind slabs near Vantage Ridge.

Looking forward, we expect winds slabs to remain reactive to human triggers, particularly on upper elevations and lee slopes.

10 to 15 cm of snow at upper elevations in the last 24 hours has likely been redistributed by moderate to strong southerly winds and built reactive cornices and deposits of reactive slab on lee slopes.

The accumulated storm snow may be poorly bonded to an underlying crust, which could result in very large avalanches. This crust is 60 to 100 cm deep. A layer of surface hoar may exist just above this crust in sheltered terrain at treeline.

Snow depths at treeline vary between 90 to 140 cm.

Thursday NightCloudy. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

FridayPartly cloudy. 5 to 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 6 cm of new snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. 10 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to a buried crust.
• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.