Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Feb 5th, 2017 4:19PM

The alpine rating is considerable, the treeline rating is considerable, and the below treeline rating is moderate. Known problems include Storm Slabs.

jsmith, Avalanche Canada

Sea To Sky.

Touchy storm slabs reactive to human triggers. Use small slopes with low consequence to test the bond of the storm snow.

Summary

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Monday: Mostly cloudy / Light, southwest winds / Freezing level sea level.Tuesday: Mostly cloudy / Light, southeast winds / Freezing level sea level.Wednesday: 10-15 cm new snow/ Light to moderate, southwest winds/ Freezing level sea level.

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, numerous skier triggered avalanches up to size to 2 were reported near Whistler.

Snowpack Summary

50-90 cm of recent storm snow has buried a wide variety of old snow surfaces including stiff wind slab or wind effected snow at upper elevations, sun crust on steep southerly slopes, surface hoar and surface facets in sheltered locations. The mid-January interface (facets) is buried approximately 100-180 cm down. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled (strong). However, there remain a number of facet and crust layers that are currently dormant but will require monitoring with additional loading.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Touchy storm slabs reactive to human triggers. Storm slab reactivity may persist for longer than usual due to the presence of buried surface hoar (feathery crystals) or hard crusts.

Use conservative route selection, choose moderate angled and supported terrain with low consequence.Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, shotting cracks, or recent natural avalanching.Use small slopes with low consequence to test the bond of the storm snow.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: All elevations.

Likelihood

Likely - Very Likely

Expected Size

1 - 3

Valid until: Feb 6th, 2017 2:00PM