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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 25th, 2024–Feb 26th, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Dangerous avalanche conditions exist where new snow and wind continue to add load above buried weak layers.

Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices at this time.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, operators reported signs of instability such as shooting cracks and snow pillows failing on the persistent weak layer. Poor visibility means observations at higher elevations were limited.

On Saturday, skier triggered wind slab avalanches were reported to size 1.5. A skier accidental persistent slab avalanche was reported on a west aspect at 1900 m. The avalanche happened on a steep treeline feature and failed on surface hoar above the February 1 crust.

Snowpack Summary

5 to 15 cm of storm snow and strong westerly winds have created fresh wind slabs in open areas at treeline and above. Recent snow overlies a variety of surfaces including a crust on south facing slopes, wind affected surfaces in open areas and faceted surfaces in sheltered areas.

Roughly 40 to 60 cm down is a widespread crust with a weak layer of facets or isolated surface hoar above this crust. This problematic layering remains a concern with recent avalanche activity and snowpack tests showing reactivity. Human triggering avalanches on this layer remains possible.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mainly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with 1 to 2 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom.

Tuesday

Increasing clouds. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 50 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rises to -3 °C. Freezing level rises to 1500 m throughout the day.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.

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.