Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 20th, 2023 3:15PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs, Deep Persistent Slabs and Loose Dry.
Dvonk,
Avalanche Canada
15cm on Sunday night and another 15-20 Monday evening will be the largest loads the snowpack has seen this winter. Stay clear of avalanche terrain and allow the snowpack time to adjust.
Safe tree skiing is a great option!
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
A road patrol along the spray noted no slab avalanches but loose dry activity on steep features in the alpine and treeline.
Snowpack Summary
Burstall pass area received 15cm on Sunday night.
Treeline and alpine windslabs continue to be the main avalanche concern in terms of "triggerability". In terms of consequence, the dreaded Nov 5 facets still have a firm grip on the low probability/high consequence title. Some of our neighbours to the west have seen failures on this layer, which suggest that new snow loading or a wind slab trigger is a critical factor for when this layer will fail.
Weather Summary
Continued snow. An additional 15-20cm is being called for tonight. The temperature's will drop off to -22 on Tuesday and stay cloudy. Winds will swap and come from the east at 20km/h.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
- Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Notice the swap in wind direction? Reverse loading will happen and windslabs may be on aspects were not used to.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Deep Persistent Slabs
With incoming wind and larger amounts of snow, we are unsure of how the snowpack will handle the new load. Thin areas are where this layer will be easiest to trigger. Be thinking about wide propagations as the snowpack above is more cohesive than before.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Loose Dry
30cm of storm snow will sluff easily in steep terrain,
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 21st, 2023 4:00PM
