Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Feb 11th, 2020 4:00PM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs.

Avalanche Canada jfloyer, Avalanche Canada

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Watch for wind slabs, particularly on southeast facing slopes as the wind shifts around to the northwest.

Summary

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Tuesday night: Dry. Winds light northwesterly.

Wednesday: Dry with increasing cloud cover. Winds light southwesterly. Freezing level around 1000 m.

Thursday: Around 15 cm new snow. Winds moderate southwesterly. Freezing level around 900 m.

Friday: Around 5 cm new snow. Winds moderate southwesterly. Freezing level around 800 m.

Avalanche Summary

A small skier triggered slab avalanche was reported on Saturday (see this MIN report). Similar avalanches might be expected under the current conditions in wind-affected areas.

Snowpack Summary

Winds have shifted to the northwest quadrant, which will build wind slabs on southeast aspects. Warmer temperatures have densified the upper snow pack. There is around 30 cm recent new snow that sits on a thick rain crust. The snowpack below the crust consists of moist to wet snow and is well settled. Snowpack depths are in the range of 150-250 cm around the peaks of the North Shore mountains (1400 m), tapering quickly with elevation to almost nothing below 1000 m.

Terrain and Travel

  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.

Problems

Wind Slabs

An icon showing Wind Slabs

Recent winds have shifted to the northwest, setting up wind slabs on mainly southeast aspects in exposed locations.

Aspects: North East, East, South East, South.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Feb 12th, 2020 5:00PM