Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Apr 2nd, 2021 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs, Cornices and Loose Wet.
ahanna,
Avalanche Canada
High elevation north aspects hold the best snow but are also the most likely place to encounter wind slabs. Be ready to back off slopes as warm temperatures moisten and weaken the upper snowpack. Check out our latest blog post on managing these not-quite-yet-spring conditions.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
Friday night: Partly cloudy. Light southwest winds, strong above 2500 m. Alpine temperatures around -2. Freezing levels dropping to 1000 m in the north and holding at 2000 m in the south.
Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud with cloud increasing. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around 0. Freezing levels to 2100 m.
Sunday: 5-15 cm new snow arriving overnight in the north and during the day in the south. Light southwest wind shifting northwest over the day. Alpine high temperatures around -5. Freezing level 1600 m.
Monday: Sunny. Light to moderate west wind. Alpine high temperatures around -2. Freezing level 2000 m.
Avalanche Summary
On Wednesday and Thursday, natural and skier triggered loose wet avalanches were reported on solar aspects size 1-2.5.
Sporadic slab avalanches around size 2 have also been observed running on one or more of our recent curst layers. On Wednesday a larger (size 2), 45 cm-deep slab was triggered by a snowcat push in the Selkirks and is suspected to have failed on a surface hoar layer from late March.
Snowpack Summary
Surface crusts exist on solar aspects and below about 2000 metres. Above this elevation, 20-50 cm of recent snow in the Selkirk mountains and 10-20 in the Monashees has otherwise seen some redistribution by southwest to northwest wind, and seems to be bonding well with underlying surfaces.
At alpine and treeline elevations, a few layers of note are buried 50-100 cm deep including a layer of small surface hoar crystals on shady, wind-sheltered aspects and a series of crusts on solar aspects and below 1800 m. Overall the snow seems to be bonding well to these interfaces, although there have been a few isolated avalanches running on deeper crust layers in the past week.
Terrain and Travel
- Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
- Extra caution is needed around cornices under the current conditions.
- Avoid steep slopes when air temperatures are warm, or solar radiation is strong.
- A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Recently formed wind slabs may remain reactive to human triggering in wind loaded terrain features at upper elevations.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Cornices
Cornices become weak with daytime warming. Cornice falls are dangerous in their own right and they can also trigger slabs on slopes below.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Loose Wet
Wet loose avalanches are possible on steep south facing slopes and at elevations where air temperatures rise above freezing.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Apr 3rd, 2021 4:00PM
