Regions
Northwest Inland.
Continued stormy conditions will create changing avalanche problems. Keep your wits about you and be prepared to adjust your plans as you travel.
Confidence
Poor - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Expect around 5 cm snow on Sunday with moderate to strong SW winds and the freezing level near 600 m. Light snow continues on Monday, with strong SW winds. A second organised system is forecast to affect the area on Tuesday, bringing moderate snow, strong SW winds and rising temperatures.
Avalanche Summary
In the Ningunsaw area, explosives triggered several deep persistent slabs to size 3 which failed on basal facets. Skiers also triggered size 1 slabs on wind-loaded features at treeline.
Snowpack Summary
Strong southerly winds are building wind slabs, generally depositing snow on N and NE aspects (other aspects may be getting cross-loaded or variable local wind effects too, so keep your eyes open). A surface hoar layer was reported to have been buried at the start of January in the northern part of the region. In the mid-pack, a crust weakness buried in mid-December seems to have fallen off most operators' radar for now. Near the base of the snowpack is a November crust-facet combination that could remain problematic, especially in shallower snowpack areas. We are skinny on field observations from your region, so submissions on our website are welcomed. Click Avalanche Information at the top of the page.
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.