Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 20th, 2024 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Persistent Slabs.
cgarritty,
Avalanche Canada
The chance of triggering an old wind slab on facets is quite low, but that won't matter if you find the sweet spot! Keep up safe travel practices and the extra caution around ridgelines.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday a skier accidentally triggered a large avalanche near Hudson Bay Mountain. It is suspected that this avalanche failed on the same persistent weak layer described in our snowpack summary. Check this MIN post for full details.
A few small natural avalanches were also reported in the Babines.
On Friday, a small ( size 1) skier-triggered size slab avalanche was reported in the Hudson Bay Mountain area. This avalanche failed on the same persistent weak layer.
Snowpack Summary
A variety of conditions can be found in exposed terrain at treeline and above, including crusty and wind affected surfaces. In sheltered terrain, there is up to 5 cm of snow on top of a breakable crust and new surface hoar development.
In isolated areas in the alpine, old, often hard wind slabs overlie a persistent layer of weak, sugary facets above a crust. This has kept some old slabs surprisingly sensitive to human triggering.
The remainder of the snowpack is generally not concerning.
Watch for a MIN from our field team in the Sinclair area on Tuesday!
Weather Summary
Tuesday night
Mainly clear. 5 - 10 km/h northwest alpine wind. Freezing level to valley bottom.
Wednesday
A mix of sun and cloud. 5 - 10 km/h north alpine wind, shifting west and increasing overnight. Treeline temperature -3 °C with freezing level to 700m.
Thursday
Becoming mainly sunny. 20 - 40 km/h west alpine wind, increasing. Treeline temperature around -3 °C with freezing level rising to 700 m.
Friday
Cloudy with flurries bringing about 5 cm of new snow. 50 - 60 km/h southwest alpine winds. Treeline temperature -2 °C with freezing levels to 1100 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Carefully evaluate bigger terrain features on an individual basis before committing to them.
- Use caution when approaching steep and rocky terrian.
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Old hard wind slabs over weak sugary facets on a hard crust could still be human-triggerable in isolated locations, mainly in rocky, steep alpine terrain.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 21st, 2024 4:00PM
