Avalanche forecast

Northwest Inland

Feb 5 – 6, 2017Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Wind slabs are a significant concern in the alpine. The probability of triggering a full depth avalanche has lowered but the consequence of doing so remains High. Click here for more information in our blog on this specific problem.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–3
    Moderate to strong winds have formed wind slabs in lee areas. Surface avalanches may also step down to deeper, more destructive layers.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–4
    Last week's snow and wind have added a critical load to weak, sugary snow at the base of the snowpack and potential exists for full depth avalanches. This problem may be more acute in lower snowpack areas.

Confidence

Moderate - The weather pattern is stable

Weather Forecast

Steady weather pattern for the Northwest: Cold and mostly clear with no precipitation.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud / Light to moderate east wind / Alpine temperature -22TUESDAY: Sunny / Light southeast wind / Alpine temperature -14 WEDNESDAY: Sunny / Moderate east wind / Alpine temperature -15

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, slab avalanches were reported in the Shootout area of Telkwa range. A remote-triggered Size 2 wind slab was set off by a skier in the Kispiox on Friday, running on basal facets. There have been few avalanches reported over the last 3 days. However, it is still possible to trigger an avalanche on deeper weak layers at upper elevations either from a thin spot or a smaller avalanche stepping down.

Snowpack Summary

Last weekend's snowfall sits on a rain crust up to about 1400 m in many parts of the region. At tree line and above, the storm snow is settling and/or being redistributed into new wind slabs, especially on west through southeast aspects. Below, several buried surface hoar layers can be found, between 30-70 cm deep. Reports from last week indicate these layers had been yielding moderate to hard results in snowpack tests. A generally stiff mid pack sits above weak sugary snow near the ground. The new load from last week reached a critical level and woke up a deep persistent slab problem in many parts of the region, especially shallower (100-140cm) snowpack areas. Currently the probability of triggering an avalanche on those deeper layers has lowered but the consequence remains high. It is still a good time to be cautious and disciplined with terrain choices at upper elevations.

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