Vancouver Island

Watch for wind-loaded pockets, especially around north and east-facing ridgecrests and in extreme terrain.

A skier accidentally triggered an small (size 1) wind slab avalanche on Friday on Mt. Joan. Check out this MIN for full details.

Around 2-8 cm of recent snow has fallen at upper elevations. This snow sits on a variety of surfaces, including a crust on sun-exposed slopes, old wind slabs, and up to 20 cm of soft faceted snow in sheltered northerly terrain. In isolated areas, wind slabs may be more reactive where they overlie facets and surface hoar. The mid-pack contains several other crusts and layers of moist rounded grains.

Below treeline, most areas are below the threshold for forming avalanches.

Check out this latest MIN for more info

Sunday Night

Cloudy with trace amounts of snow / very light rain, 25-30 km/h southeast alpine wind, treeline temperature 0°C, freezing level between 1300-1600m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with no new snow, 20 km/h southerly alpine wind, treeline temperature 2°C, freezing levels 1700 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, with a trace to 2 cm of new snow / very light rain, 15 km/h southwest alpine wind, treeline temperature 2°C, freezing level 1600 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with a trace to 2 cm of snow / very light rain, 20 km/h southeast alpine wind, treeline temperature 2°C, freezing level 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
• Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.