Avalanche forecast

Sea To Sky

Jan 7 – 8, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    1–5
    With forecast wind, high freezing levels and snowfall, expect touchy and destructive wind slabs to develop on lee and cross-loaded features at treeline and in the alpine.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    3–7
    More likely to be triggered from thin slab areas (ie: moraines, cross-loaded features), from heavy triggers like cornice falls, or from storm or wind slab avalanches stepping down to deeper weaknesses.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–6
    New snowfall will be adding to current storm slab avalanche problems making them destructive in nature.

Confidence

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

Weather Forecast

Sunday: Snowfall become heavy in the afternoon, Forecast amounts to 30cm / Strong southwest winds / Freezing levels rising to 1800mMonday: Continued heavy snowfall tapering off in the afternoon / Moderate to strong southwest winds / Freezing levels dropping from 1400m to 700m as snowfall tapers offTuesday: Clear skies with no precipitation / Winds switching to light and northerly / Freezing level dropping to surface

Avalanche Summary

There was a recent size 2 natural reported on a north facing moraine feature at 1900m. Please send us your observations (professional or recreational) to [email protected].

Snowpack Summary

At treeline, the snowpack sits at about 260cm.In the upper snowpack, weaknesses within and under last week's 80cm of storm snow will need some time to settle and fully strengthen.Persistent weaknesses remain a concern in the many parts of the region. In the mid-pack, facets with an associated crust (resulting from the early December dry spell) at treeline and alpine areas are probably down well over a metre in most places. This layer still seems to be reactive, particularly in shallow areas or terrain with variable snow depths (cross-loaded features, moraines). In the lower snowpack, basal facets from early november should also be on your radar. They may just be waiting for the right trigger (current heavy storm snow loading, cornice fall, step-down avalanches). Any activity on either of these persistent weaknesses would be highly destructive in nature.Expect further storm slab/wind slab development with forecast weather.

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