Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 25th, 2023–Feb 26th, 2023

Alpine

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Microwave-Sinclair, Telkwa.

Don't let good skiing lure you into extreme terrain.

Seek out sheltered low-angle terrain for the best riding.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Recent variable winds created reactive wind slabs on all aspects that have produced several natural and human-triggered avalanches up to size 2.5 in recent days. The wind that is accompanying Saturday night's storm should be expected to produce wind and storm slabs of equal reactivity this weekend.

Observations on Tuesday reported natural avalanche activity that produced avalanches that ranged in size between 1.5 and 4. Our field team reported witnessing several wind slab avalanches up to size 2.5 in extremely steep terrain. Local operators reported wind slab, storm slab, and persistent and deep persistent slab avalanches. The persistent and deep persistent layers have been relatively quiet since February 16th. This is a good reminder that they could still be reactive in certain locations.

On Sunday, a notable skier accidental size 2 storm slab occurred in the backcountry near Terrace. See details in the MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

New snow will be falling on wind slabs created earlier this week. These wind slabs can be found on all aspects and at most elevations.

Up to 80 cm now sits over a layer of small surface hoar, facets, and wind-affected surfaces.

A crust from late January exists around 140 to 180 cm below the surface. Beneath the crust, the snowpack is generally consolidated but as you move further inland there are instabilities found near the ground where the snowpack is thinner.

The total height of snow varies between 450 cm near the coast and 250 cm further inland.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy, snowfall begins to taper up to 5 to 10 cm of accumulation, winds southwest 10 km/h gusting to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures around -9 ºC.

Sunday

Cloudy with possible late-day sunny periods, 1 to 5 cm accumulation, winds, west south 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -9 ºC.

Monday

Cloudy with late day sun, trace accumulation, winds southwest 15 to 20 km/h, treeline temperatures -10 ºC.

Tuesday

Cloudy with late day sun, 1 to 5 cm of accumulation, winds northeast 15 to 20 km/h, treeline temperatures -12 ºC.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

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.