Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 30th, 2023–Dec 31st, 2023

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Challenging traveling conditions will exist at treeline and below. If you find a thin and/or breakable crust at upper elevations, human-triggering remains possible.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, numerous cornice falls were reported due to intense alpine warming. Small loose wet avalanches were also observed on steep terrain at all elevations. The latest reports of skier-triggered avalanches date back to Thursday, when wind slabs were triggered in convex lee slopes at treeline north of Pemberton. They mostly ran on the concerning surface hoar layer or a buried crust down 30 to 50 cm.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5 cm of new snow may sit over a recent melt-freeze crust up to 2000 m. Underneath, 30 and 65 cm of recent storm snow and heavily wind-affected snow overlies a thick crust and, in some sheltered areas, surface hoar. This layer has bonded poorly in neighbouring regions to the west and south, and in parts of this region could result in large avalanches. Overall, the snow depth remains shallow, with average treeline snowpack depths between 80 and 120 cm.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature around 0 °C, freezing level at 1300 m.

Sunday

Mix of sun and clouds, no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 km/h, treeline temperature around -3 °C, freezing level around 1200 m.

Monday

Mix of sun and clouds, no precipitation, alpine wind southwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature around -4 °C, freezing level at valley bottom.

Tuesday

Mix of sun and clouds, no precipitation, alpine wind southwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature around -4 °C, freezing level at valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.

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.