Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 2nd, 2025–Feb 3rd, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Howson.

Snow that is being redistributed by the wind will be likely to avalanche.

Deeply buried layers are still a concern in very large alpine terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Yesterday a skier trigger avalanche occurred at treeline on a north aspect. This avalanche failed on a layer of surface hoar buried down 50 cm. Review this MIN report for further detail.

One very large natural avalanche was observed last week (size 3.5) on a northerly aspect at 1800 m. This likely failed on the buried weak layer from December described in the snowpack summary.

Snowpack Summary

Last week 20 to 40 cm of new snow fell and now overlies surface hoar in areas protected from the wind, a melt freeze crust on south aspect terrain and sastrugi in the alpine.

Strong northeast winds are now reverse loading features at all elevations.

100 to 200 cm deep in the snowpack are layers of crust, facets, and possibly surface hoar that were buried in December and have not been recently reactive in this forecast area.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Clear. 30 to 50 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -25 °C.

Monday

Sunny. 30 to 50 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny. 50 to 80 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.

Wednesday

Sunny. 10 to 25 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Carefully manage your exposure to overhead hazards.
  • Approach steep and open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, as buried surface hoar may exist.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.