Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Saturday

Thursday: Cloudy with light snow starting in the afternoon, freezing levels rising as high as 500m and moderate westerly  winds becoming strong southwesterlies with the onset of precipitation. Friday: Snow easing throughout the day with 10-15cm total since Thursday, moderate northwesterly winds and freezing levels as high as 500m. Saturday: Moderate to heavy snowfall, extreme southwesterly winds and freezing levels rising as high as 1000m.

Recent reports include evidence of previous large avalanches from Mt Joffre at 2000m and the east face of Cayoosh Mtn in the Duffy Lake area (check out Wayne Flann's Avalanche Blog for a photo of the Cayoosh avalanche). Glide cracks are getting big and releasing to Size 2, and ski cutting has been producing heavy sluffs.

A recent Rutschblock test at 2100m on a north aspect above Duffy Lake gave an RB3 whole block release down 30cm on a storm snow weakness. The late November surface hoar was found down 70cm but so far has been unreactive to snowpack testing. A well settled and rounding mid-pack is overlaying the early November crust, which gave a moderate sudden planer compression test result in the overlying facets. Meanwhile in the Coquihalla area, recent reports suggest an overall well settled "right side up" (progressively more dense with depth) snowpack. The low density surface snow is causing a lot of sluffing in steeper terrain, but not reacting as a slab. Conditions may be quite different in the Northern part of the region, please email us your observations if you are out in the field. forecaster@avalanche.ca