Be cautious on all wind exposed slopes at tree line and above
Confidence
Fair - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Arctic air will dominate the region for the next few days, Temperatures to -20c reported in the alpine at 2000 M. Freezing level at the surface in the valley bottoms. Expect little change for the next week until the arctic high moves out of the area.
Avalanche Summary
No reports of new avalanche activity. This most likely reflects the low number of observations rather than actual conditions.
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack depths vary greatly across the South coast inland area. Whistler reporting 180 cm in the alpine and 80 cm at the toe of the glaciers. Coquihalla received 70 to 80cm in the last storm event. Winds from the SW during the storm shifted to N-NE with the arrival of the arctic outflow and have produced some wind slabs on lee slopes. Terrain below treeline is reported to be mostly below threshold for avalanche activity and solid.Moderate to locally heavy (in the south) accumulations now overlie a generally well settled snowpack. A few crusts with faceting may be found near the base of the snowpack, especially at higher higher elevations. No observations of avalanches on these crust/facet layers have been reported up to this time, but they are worth keeping an eye on. Expect surface facetting with the cold temps, and surface hoar on N. slopes protected from the wind.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.