Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, South Coast Inland, Stein, Taseko.
Beware of wind slabs in steep, alpine terrain. Recent wind has varied in direction and strength.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
A few small (size 1) loose avalanches were reported on Tuesday, and some skier-triggered wind slabs were reported in alpine terrain on Monday (up to size 1.5).
Snowpack Summary
Variable wind has redistributed low-density snow at higher elevations.
A layer of surface hoar may exist 10 to 20 cm below the surface and a widespread, supportive crust exists 30 cm below the surface.
Snowpack depths decrease rapidly as you lose elevation below treeline.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Clear skies. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.
Thursday
Sunny. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Friday
Sunny. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and cloudy. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Start on smaller terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger terrain.
- Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Triggerable wind slabs may be found on some steep alpine slopes.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2