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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2024–Jan 8th, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Pay attention to accumulating snowfall - avalanche hazard will increase as the next storm brings more snow and wind.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On January 6, a natural avalanche cycle to size 2.5 was observed, and storm slabs to size 2 were reactive to rider traffic, as well as sluffing in steep terrain.

A very large (size 4) avalanche was reported on Joffre shoulder and around towards Slalok; observed from a distance it is hard to determine what layer this avalanche failed.

Snowpack Summary

Strong southwest then northerly wind has impacted loose snow at upper elevations. More snow and wind is forecast starting Monday.

30-60 cm of recent and settling snow covers the Dec 30 crust (and isolated Jan 3 surface hoar), this crust is more prominent at treeline and below, and varies in thickness and strength across the forecast area. A Dec 20 crust is being tracked further west of this forecast region. Now down 80-120 cm, facets and surface hoar over a crust have been trending dormant except for a few large, suspect avalanches reported Jan 6. Snowpack depths are 80-120 cm around treeline and decrease rapidly below.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries. Light increasing ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

Monday

Cloudy with flurries, 5 cm. Southwest ridgetop increasing to strong. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Tuesday

Snow, 10-25 cm. Strong southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

Wednesday

Snowfall decreasing, 5 cm. Moderate decreas9jgmsouthwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh wind slabs will likely form throughout the day, diligently watch for changing conditions.
  • Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 25cm of new snow.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.

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.