Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 29th, 2024 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
mhalik,
Avalanche Canada
Avoid big slopes overhead: Avalanches continue to be remotely triggered and are propagating widely. Watch for shooting cracks and whumpfing indicating a touchy snowpack.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Numerous natural and human-triggered avalanches have occurred across the region. These include several very large (size 3) remotely triggered slabs.
Remote triggers indicate a sensitive snowpack and the need for very conservative terrain choices.
Recent avalanches have occurred on all aspects and at various elevations, on buried weak layers up to 100 cm deep.
Click on the photos below for more details.
Snowpack Summary
40 to 70 cm of recent snow has been moved by strong winds from various directions at upper elevations. This snow sits over facets and a crust, and in isolated areas, buried surface hoar. Soft snow can still be found in lower-elevation terrain that is sheltered from the wind.
A thick crust with weak facets on top is buried 50 to 100 cm deep. This layer has been problematic, producing very large step-down avalanches.
Reports show the recent snow is not bonding well to these older weak layers, producing ongoing reactivity including remote triggering of avalanches.
Below, the mid and lower snowpack is generally well-bonded and strong.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 25 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -12 °C.
Friday
A mix of sun and cloud with 0 to 1 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -8 °C.
Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -10 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 25 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -12 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low-angle, well-supported terrain with no overhead hazard.
- Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
- If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
- Caution required around non obvious avalanche terrain like road cutbanks, cutblocks and other non obvious avalanche terrain
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind affected snow can be found on most aspects. Watch for the 'typical' wind loaded features near ridgelines, and unusual features like cross-loaded gullies and ribs, or wind deposited snow lower on a slope than normal.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
Two layers of significant concern exist in the upper meter of the snowpack. They have been very reactive to human and machine triggers recently.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 1st, 2024 4:00PM
