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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 11th, 2023–Mar 12th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Plan your travels with aspect in mind. Wind slabs remain possible to trigger on south and west facing slopes. Watch for clearing skies - short periods of sunshine can rapidly increase reactivity on south facing/sun affected slopes.

Continue to avoid thin and rocky start zones where buried weak layers are shallow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche observations have been limited to solar-triggered loose avalanches from steep south aspects.

Last week the region saw numerous natural wind slab and cornice-triggered avalanches up to size 2.

On Tuesday our field team observed a size 3 deep persistent slab avalanche near Hankin that they estimated to be around a week old. The slab propagated across the full steep, rocky feature. This has been the latest of a pattern of intermittent large deep persistent slab activity in the alpine. Observations from late February include a cornice-triggered size 2.5 at Hudson Bay and several explosive controlled size 2-3 near Ningunsaw.

Snowpack Summary

Recent wind affected snow sits over previously hard, wind affected surfaces in the alpine. Sun crust or moist snow can be found on steep solar aspects .In sheltered terrain loose soft snow may still be available for good riding conditions.

Several crusts, layers of facets, or surface hoar can be found in the top 150 cm of the snowpack, but have not shown any significant avalanche activity or snowpack test results recently.

The lower snowpack consists of weak, basal facets which may become active with any rapid change in the snowpack, such as heavy loading or dramatic warming. Avoiding thin and rocky start zones is still recommended.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries. Moderate southeasterly wind. Freezing level below valley bottom.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Moderate southeasterly wind. Alpine high -9 ˚C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with light snowfall, up to 5 cm. Light to moderate southeasterly wind. Alpine high -7 ˚C.

Tuesday

Partly cloudy with moderate southwest winds. Alpine high -7 ˚C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Conditions may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.

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.

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.