Avalanche forecast

North Columbia

Feb 20, 2017Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 10 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

The best riding right now is probably on high north aspects, which is also where the hazard is the highest. Don't let your guard down when searching for fresh powder.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Wind slabs are likely still lurking below ridge crests and behind terrain features at higher elevations. Choose your line carefully and use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind slab.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3
    A persistent weakness down 50-80 cm remains remains sensitive to light triggers in isolated areas. Smaller avalanches have the potential to step down to this layer.

Confidence

Moderate - The weather pattern is stable

Weather Forecast

We're into a fairly stable weather pattern: seasonal temperatures and isolated flurries.MONDAY: Cloudy with light flurries, local accumulations to 5cm, light to moderate southwesterly winds and freezing levels around 1300 m.TUESDAY: A mix of sun and cloud with light snow flurries starting in the afternoon (5-10cm), light winds and freezing levels around 700 m.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with light flurries (5-10cm), light southerly winds and freezing levels around 400 m.

Avalanche Summary

On the weekend we had a few reports of natural cornice fall in addition to lingering storm and wind slab avalanches, mostly Size 1.5 on high northerly aspects. Wind slabs (think northerly aspects in the alpine) are sensitive to light triggers and have the potential to step down and trigger persistent slab avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

We've had minor snowfall amounts (5-20cm) over the weekend with light winds. At higher elevations expect to find 25-40 cm of more recent snow slowly bonding to buried surface hoar and/or a crust, and blown into deep wind slabs near ridge crests. Below 1600m the moist snow has frozen to give a (sometimes) breakable (10cm thick in places) crust: Not much fun riding I'm afraid. Rapidly settling storm snow from last week is still bonding poorly to the previous snow surface from early February, which is now down 60-90 cm and includes a sun crust on steep sun-exposed slopes, faceted snow, as well as surface hoar on sheltered open slopes. The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled and stable in deeper snowpack areas but may be faceted and weaker in shallower areas. The mid-December surface hoar/facet persistent weakness can now be found down roughly 150 cm. It has become inactive in the south of the region, but may still be lingering in the northern part of the region near Blue River and Valemount.

Regions covered