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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 10th, 2023–Mar 11th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

Watch for fresh wind slabs forming as snow accumulates over Saturday if you are travelling in terrain on the western side of the island.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche observations in the past 2 days.

On Tuesday our field team observed several size 1-2 wind slab avalanches at Mt Cain which they estimated to be around 1-2 days old. Some of them failed down to the buried crust.

Snowpack Summary

30-60 cm of recent snow has been redistributed at upper elevations. At lower elevations, it continues to settle with mild temperatures. A sun crust or moist snow may exist on steep solar aspects.

A thick, widespread crust formed in mid February now sits 40-80 cm deep. Near Mt Cain, the crust is smooth with faceted crystals sitting on top of it. Avalanche activity on this layer has now tapered off, and reports show this interface is strengthening and unlikely to be triggered by a riders weight. Riders should still avoid thin and rocky start zones where this layer will sit closer to the surface.

The mid and lower snowpack is well consolidated, containing a series of well-bonded crusts.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy. Light southwest wind. Freezing level drops to 500 m.

Saturday

Light snowfall. 5 cm for most areas. Western areas may see up to 15 cm. Freezing levels reach 1000 m. Moderate southwesterly wind. Alpine high -1 ˚C.

Sunday

10-30 cm of new snow. Highest accumulations on the far west and north of the island. Freezing levels reach 1000 m. Strong southwesterly wind. Alpine high -1 ˚C.

Monday

5 cm of new snow. Freezing levels reach 1000 m. Strong southwesterly wind. Alpine high -1 ˚C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.

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.