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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 5th, 2024–Mar 6th, 2024

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 possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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, Homathko, Spearhead.

Continue to manage buried weak layers by choosing low-angle terrain, and avoiding overhead hazard.

Minimize your exposure to south facing slopes during strong afternoon sunshine.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Activity continues with operators noting more evidence of a large natural cycle to size 3, likely triggered by sun. On Monday natural avalanches were observed on north and west facing slopes at treeline, to size 2 with crowns up to 1 m deep.

MIN users continue to report remotely triggered avalanches, most common in convexities. Check out the many recent MINS from this week.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm snow is beginning to settle. However, reports show this storm snow is still not bonding well to the crust/facet/surface hoar layer buried 70-150 cm deep. This layer continues to show sensitivity to human triggers, and is most concerning at treeline elevations where these crystals are most easily preserved. It will take time to begin to settle and bond.

Strong sunshine is expected to create moist or wet snow on south facing slopes and increase the reactivity of weak layers.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Clear skies. 20-30 km/h northwest winds. Freezing level around 500 m.

Wednesday

Mostly clear skies in the morning, with afternoon cloud. 20-30 km/h northwest winds. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level around 500 m.

Thursday

Partly sunny with increasing cloud. 30-50 km/h west winds. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level around 500 m.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 50-70 km/h southwest winds. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level around 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid being on or under sun exposed slopes.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.

Problems

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.

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.