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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 2nd, 2023–Jan 3rd, 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 possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

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

Use caution around wind-loaded areas at upper elevations, where wind slabs have formed over a crust.

Though natural avalanche activity has tapered off human triggering remains possible.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported throughout the weekend. On Friday a size 1.5 skier remote storm slab avalanche was reported. This slab was 25 cm deep and released on a steep northeast slope at 1400m. Several other avalanches like this one were reported to have occurred on Friday. triggers included ski cuts and naturals. Check out this MIN from Mt Washington.

Continue to support your backcountry community and please consider submitting a MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 40cm of recent storm snow is settling over a melt-freeze crust above 1000 m. A thin layer of facets could exist around this interface. Strong southerly winds have redistributed available snow into deep wind slabs on north and east aspects and cross-loading on others. Below 1000m the snow surface could still be moist.

Terrain below treeline has limited or no coverage.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries, 1-5 mm accumulation. Ridgetop winds southerly 20 gusting 30 km/h. A low of -3 at 1100m. Freezing levels 1000m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with isolated flurries, 2-7 mm accumulation. Ridgetop winds southerly 20 gusting to 30 km/h. A high of -1 at 1100m. Freezing levels drop to 700 m.

Wednesday

Mainly cloudy with light flurries, trace accumulation. Ridgetop winds southerly 30-50 km/h. A high of +1 at 1100m. Freezing levels rise to 1500m.

Thursday

Cloudy with flurries, 5-10 mm accumulation. Ridgetop winds southerly 30-50 km/h. A high of 0 at 1100m. Freezing levels 1500m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.
  • Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind loaded snow.

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.