Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Babine, East Stikine, Hudson Bay, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, North Bulkley, Northwest Inland, South Bulkley, Telkwa, West Stikine.
Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
A large (size 2.5) wind slab avalanche occurred naturally on a north-facing slope at treeline on Tuesday near Kispiox.
A couple of cornice failures have also occurred, failing naturally in the alpine.
Snowpack Summary
The snow surface is heavily wind affected in terrain exposed to the wind. Wind-sheltered terrain consists of 10 to 30 cm of settled dry snow, which overlies a thick and hard melt-freeze crust below approximately 1700 m. The crust is at the snow surface at lower elevations.
The middle of the snowpack may contain old, weak faceted layers and hard crusts, which do not currently present a concern.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. 10 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with 2 to 3 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.
- When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Small pockets of wind slabs may linger in steep, wind-loaded terrain features in the alpine. Watch for cross-loaded features.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5