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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 30th, 2024–Dec 31st, 2024

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

Regions

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

Monitor surface conditions as you gain elevation and move into wind affected terrain.

Slabs likely remain triggerable by riders.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Reports indicate storm snow is becoming stubborn to rider triggering, with reactivity limited to wind-affected terrain. See the photo below for an example from Friday. And check out this MIN report from the Sky Pilot area.

The last reported avalanches that occurred on the crust buried up to 160 cm deep occurred on Thursday and Friday. Size 3 avalanches stepped down to this crust on north facing slopes. Human triggering is now thought to be unlikely but uncertainty exists.

Snowpack Summary

Storm snow continues to settle, with wind affect at higher elevations in exposed terrain. A crust is buried around 50 to 100 cm deep, and reports suggest the bond is improving. Check out this great MIN report from the Apostles on Sunday.

Another crust sits 90-160 cm deep, combined with surface hoar preserved in sheltered treeline terrain. While this layer recently produced large avalanches, triggering likely requires large loads now (a cornice fall) or a smaller avalanche stepping down.

At lower elevations, surface snow is likely moist, or refrozen into a thick crust. For an update about local snow conditions check out this blog from Dec 26th.

Weather Summary

Monday NightMostly cloudy. 10 km/h southerly ridgetop wind. Freezing levels drop to 500 m. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.