Avalanche Forecast

Riders were able to trigger size 1 (small) storm slab avalanches in steep, lee areas near Whistler on Saturday.

Several size 2 (large) explosive-triggered storm slab avalanches were reported on Friday. 

Avalanche activity is expected to continue, especially in alpine areas where new snow has been transported by the wind into reactive deposits.

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

Another 20 to 30 cm of snow fell on upper elevations overnight Sunday, with rain below treeline, bringing the total since Saturday to up to 60 cm in alpine areas. Strong southerly winds are expected to form deeper deposits on north-facing slopes.

A crust or moist snow will be observed on the surface at lower elevations.

A prominent crust with facets above from early December is buried 80 to 140 cm deep at treeline. A layer of surface hoar may be found in sheltered areas at treeline at this depth. We are continuing to monitor these layers.

The lower snowpack is well-settled with no layers of concern.

You can read more details about the local snowpack conditions here.

Sunday NightCloudy with 20 to 30 mm, falling as snow above 1000 m. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 1400 m.

Monday

Partly cloudy with trace precipitation. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level 1400 m rising in the afternoon.

TuesdayCloudy with 3 to 10 mm of mixed precipitation. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level 2000 m dropping to 1300 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 mm, falling as snow above 500 m. 60 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.