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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 9th, 2025–Feb 10th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Stewart, Kispiox, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Choose conservative, low consequence terrain.

The snowpack is complex and contains multiple layers of concern.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, a skier accidentally triggered a deep persistent slab, size 2, on a northeast aspect at 1700 m. The crown of the avalanche was 60 cm deep. This avalanche ran on the early December weak layer.

A few size 1.5, explosive triggered, wind slab avalanches were reported on Friday. These avalanches were on northwest aspects at treeline.

Snowpack Summary

Previous strong northeast outflow wind has scour windward terrain and loaded south and west facing slopes at all elevations. In sheltered terrain 30 to 60 cm of faceted snow overlies a crust and layer of surface hoar from late January.

Another layer of surface hoar was buried near the middle of January and can be found 50 to 100 cm deep.

A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December is buried 150 to 300 cm. This layer remains a concern in this region.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Clear. 10 to 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C, potential for inversion with warmer temperatures in the alpine.

Monday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C, potential for temperature inversion with warmer temperatures in the alpine.

Tuesday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C, potential for inversion with warmer temperatures in the alpine.

Wednesday

Mainly sunny. 15 to 25 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C, potential for inversion with warmer temperatures in the alpine.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.