Watch for wind loaded terrain features and avoid terrain traps like cliffs and gullies.
Confidence
High - The weather pattern is stable
Weather Forecast
MONDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods, light west winds, freezing level dropping to 800 m with alpine temperatures around -2 C.TUESDAY: Sunny, light northeast winds, alpine temperatures around -4 C.WEDNESDAY: Sunny, light east winds, alpine temperatures around -6 C.
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday, a size 1.5 wind slab avalanche was triggered by skier on a north facing alpine slope in the Sky Pilot area near Squamish. Expect fresh wind slabs to have formed on Sunday and be reactive to human triggers in the lee of exposed ridges.
Snowpack Summary
Sunday's cold front delivered 5-10 cm of new snow to the region. Strong southwest winds have likely formed wind slabs in the lee of exposed ridges. The new snow may bond poorly to sun crusts on steep south facing slopes. The mid and lower snowpack are well settled and stable.
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.