Vancouver Island

Start on small slopes, and continually assess if the recent snow is starting to stick to the old surface.

No new avalanches were reported on Monday or Tuesday before 4 pm.

On Sunday in the Mt. Cain backcountry, there were reports of whumpfs and a large avalanche around treeline.

Many areas received 20-50 cm of localized convective snowfall over the weekend, bringing weekly storm totals up to 60 to 100+ cm. The recent snow sits over a crust on all but high north aspects. At upper elevations, the recent snow has been redistributed by wind.

Below the crust, the snowpack is generally well consolidated. A facet/crust layer in the mid snowpack was tested by the significant recent snow load and it does not appear to present an avalanche problem at this time.

Below treeline areas have now received enough snow to produce avalanches. Watch for "early season" type hazards such as shallowly buried stumps, rocks and creeks.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -4 °C. Freezing level 750 m.

Thursday

Cloudy. 0-1 cm of snow expected above 500 m. Moderate to strong south or southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -2 °C.

Friday

Cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow expected above 500-1000 m. Possibly less on the east island. Extreme southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high around 0 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Don't be too cavalier with decision making, storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
• Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.