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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 22nd, 2023–Mar 23rd, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

As new snow accumulates be sure to assess for cohesive slab formation and how it is bonding to the underlying crust.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Wet-loose avalanches up to size 2 have been reported daily during the recent warm, sunny weather.

A few natural, cornice failures were also reported in the region recently recently.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

New snow arriving Thursday will bury a melt-freeze crust, existing on all aspects at treeline and below. The crust extends into the alpine on solar aspects. In north-facing alpine terrain the surface snow has remained cold and dry during the recent warm, sunny weather.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled and bonding. At the bottom of the snowpack, a layer of weak facets remains present and continues to be monitored, however, it does not appear to be a significant concern currently.

Weather Summary

Wednesday night

Mostly cloudy, with isolated flurries. Treeline temperature 0 to -5 C. Light south ridgetop winds. Freezing level 700 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with flurries, and up to 10 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Moderate south ridgetop winds. Freezing level 1300 m.

Friday

Cloudy with flurries, 2 to 10 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Moderate south ridgetop winds. Freezing level 1000 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods. Treeline temperature -5 to -10 C. Light west ridgetop winds. Freezing level 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.