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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 18th, 2025–Feb 19th, 2025

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Jordan, North Selkirk, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Slab avalanches are possible on slopes with denser cohesive surface snow.

In steep terrain where the snow is loose and soft, use appropriate sluff management techniques.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Numerous and widespread loose dry avalanches continue to be reported across the region.

On Monday, skiers remote-triggered a size 2 persistent slab on a south-facing slope below treeline.

On Sunday and Saturday, several small size 1-1.5 natural and rider-triggered slabs were reported failing in the recent storm snow. A few isolated ones also ran on the persistent weak layer.

Snowpack Summary

15 to 30 cm of low-density snow from the last storm buried a layer of surface hoar in sheltered areas and a thin sun crust on sun-affected slopes. Upper elevations in parts of the region have seen some wind effect and wind slabs building on lee slopes. In areas sheltered from the wind, loose dry avalanches are likely in steep terrain and have been surprising riders by entraining significant amounts of snow.

A persistent weak layer formed at the end of January is now buried approximately 30 to 70 cm. This layer is a crust on sun-exposed slopes, surface hoar in shaded, sheltered terrain, and weak faceted grains elsewhere. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mostly clear. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatrure -9 °C.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy with 0 to 4 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with 0 to 3 cm of snow. 20 to 25 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 2 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • Start with conservative terrain and watch for signs of instability.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.