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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 25th, 2024–Feb 26th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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

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

Dangerous avalanche conditions exist where new snow and wind continue to add load above buried weak layers.

Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, operators reported that ski cutting produced numerous size 1 wind slab avalanches in lee, alpine and treeline terrain features.

On a Saturday, a size 2, skier accidental wind slab avalanche was reported on a southeast-facing alpine slope on the Spearhead Traverse. The group was boot-packing up the slope when they triggered the 20 cm deep slab

Snowpack Summary

5 to 15 cm of storm snow and extreme southerly winds have built fresh wind slabs in exposed lee features at all elevations. Recent snow overlies a variety of weak surfaces, including a crust on south facing slopes and low elevations, and faceted snow and/or small surface hoar in sheltered terrain.

20 to 60 cm down is a layer of facets and areas of isolated surface hoar above a thick crust. This layer has produced concerning results in recent snowpack tests and is most concerning at treeline and above.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mainly cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom.

Tuesday

Increasing clouds. 30 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 15 to 30 cm of snow. 50 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rises to -3 °C. Freezing level rises to 1300 m throughout the day.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
  • The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.

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.