Avalanche forecast

South Coast Inland

Apr 13 – 14, 2017Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

You may encounter unstable snow behind ridgelines or summits, especially in wind effected areas.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Shifting wind directions have created fresh wind slabs on a variety of aspects.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3
    Recent snow and wind are growing already large cornices. Minimize your exposure to cornices when it is cold and cloudy and completely avoid them when it is warm and/or sunny.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Friday: Flurries. Freezing level around 1700 m. Winds 10-20 km/h from the southwest. Saturday: Mostly dry with some sun appearing in the afternoon. Freezing level around 1700 m. Winds mostly calm. Sunday: Dry, with sunshine, especially in the morning. Freezing level rising to 1900 m. Light southeasterly winds.

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, a size 1.5 cornice triggered avalanche was reported on a north aspect at 2200 m in the Duffey Lake area.

Snowpack Summary

Relatively light amounts of recent snow have created wind slabs in the immediate lee of exposed terrain features at treeline and above. On sun solar aspects and at lower elevations, numerous crusts exist in the upper snowpack which are generally well bonded. Cornices are large and remain a concern: Saturday's fatal accident near Lions Bay illustrates the danger of them breaking off, and the large avalanches they can trigger.

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