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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 21st, 2023–Jan 22nd, 2023

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sasquatch.

Watch for freshly wind loaded features, especially around ridgelines and in steep terrain.

Avoid rocky areas where the snowpack varies from thick to thin - the snowpack is weakest here.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday natural and skier triggered slabs were reported from steep terrain features at higher elevations to size 2. Check out this MIN from Mt Pattison.

Small loose wet avalanches were also reported on sun affected slopes as skies cleared.

On Thursday several natural and skier triggered slabs were also reported throughout the region to size 2.

On Wednesday explosive and skier triggered avalanches released within the storm snow 40 to 70 cm down; they were up to size 2. Reports suggest some activity occurred on the deeper persistent layers during the last storm, with observations to size 3.

Please continue to post your reports and photos to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10 cm of storm snow fell on Saturday, with deeper deposits to be found in wind affected terrain features. These storm slabs build over up to 50 cm of settling snow at higher elevations, tapering rapidly with elevation due to the recent warm temperatures.

Below 1600m new snow may sit directly on a thick melt freeze crust which is helping to strengthen the snowpack.

The lower snowpack is still watched by professionals, the late December crust is down 70 to 120 cm. In the alpine it is thin and breakable. Near the base of the snowpack, a weak facet/crust layer from mid-November can be found. Although triggering these layers is unlikely, they remains a concern for large loads (e.g. cornice failure) or in thin spots. In general, the current snowpack is thinner and weaker than typical.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Light snowfall tapers off early evening. Freezing levels remain around 500 m. Light to moderate northwest winds.

Sunday

Clearing skies with light to moderate northwest winds. Freezing levels around 500 m. Alpine high of -5 °C. No snowfall expected.

Monday

Cloudy with isolated flurries deliver up to 3 cm. Moderate to strong northwest winds return. Freezing levels around 500 m, alpine high of -5 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with isolated flurries possible. Moderate to strong northwest winds. Freezing levels around 500 m, alpine high of -5 °C.

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.

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.