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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 8th, 2024–Dec 9th, 2024

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, South Coast Inland, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Birkenhead, Duffey, Harrison-Fraser, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

If you get high enough to find soft, dry snow, you're high enough to find heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Over the weekend, explosive and skier controlled storm slabs were reported up to size 2. On Sunday, a group of ice climbers had a close call with a loose wet avalanche out of cliffy terrain near Lillooet.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

In the alpine, 20 to 40 cm of snow from the weekend is expected to bond well. There are no layers of concern in the well-settled snowpack.

Below 1800 m, there may be a dusting of snow overtop a crust capping a rain-soaked snowpack.

Snow depths at treeline are around 100 cm near Whistler, and 70 cm in the Duffy.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Clear. Calm wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Monday

Sunny. <15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1000 m with an above freezing layer 2000-2500m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2000 m near the coast, 1000 m further inland.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.

Problems

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.