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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 11th, 2024–Dec 12th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead.

Isolated pockets of wind slab may be found in the high alpine on north through east aspects.

The best riding conditions will be found in wind-sheltered terrain.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Tuesday was quiet with only one (size 2) glide slab. Reports indicate that it was a couple of days old. On Monday, a small skier-triggered (size 1) wind slab was reported with some small (less than size 1) wet loose avalanches seen from steep south-facing terrain.

Isolated wind slabs may be found on north through east-facing slopes in the alpine.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar exists in wind-sheltered, open terrain at treeline and below. A thin melt-freeze crust may exist on south-facing slopes.

Above 1800 m on non-solar slopes, you can find 15 to 30 cm of snow above a thin crust. Below 1800 m, 5 to 10 cm of snow sits overtop a thicker and more robust crust.

Below the crust, there are no layers of concern in the well-settled snowpack.

Snow depths at treeline are around 100 to 170 cm near Whistler.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with clear periods. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Ridgetop wind light with gusts up to 40 km/hr from the south. Freezing level valley bottom.

Thursday

Cloudy with isolated flurries. 10 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Friday

Snow 5 to 15 cm. 25 to 45 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Saturday

Snow up to 30 cm by the afternoon. 25 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.