Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Babine, Hudson Bay, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.
Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for reactive wind slabs, especially in the alpine.
The new load may be the tipping point for deeper instabilities and bigger avalanches.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Riders near Telkwa were able to trigger a large wind slab avalanche on Friday. Get all the details here. Otherwise, reports have been limited in this region.
Reactive wind slabs may exist on northeast- and southeast-facing slopes. Natural activity may taper but the snowpack could be primed for human-triggered avalanches this weekend.
If you go into the backcountry please consider submitting to the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
By Thursday, there was up to 20 cm of new snow. Strong southwest winds have likely redistributed the storm snow onto leeward slopes, building thicker wind slabs. Northwest winds may have also loaded southerly aspects and have a poor bond in areas (1200–1300 m) where it sits on a crust.
A persistent weak layer composed of facets overlying a crust is buried 50 to 100 cm deep and may be reactive with the new load from snow and wind.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Clear. 30 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Sunday
Mostly clear. 10 to 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8°C.
Monday
Partly cloudy. 30 gusting to 75 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9.
Tuesday
Cloudy with up to 5 cm. 40 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
- Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
- If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Changing winds may leave stiffer and deeper deposits of snow on northeast- and southeast-facing slopes. Watch for steep convex rollovers, ridgetop entrances, and cross-loaded features.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
A widespread crust with weak facets overtop is buried 50 to 100 cm deep. While this layer exists on all aspects, it's most likely to be triggered at treeline and above and will produce large avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3