Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Sea To Sky, Sky Pilot, Spearhead, Tantalus.
While 2025 begins with a generally stable snowpack and excellent powder conditions, be cautious of lingering wind slabs in steep alpine terrain.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
A few small loose avalanches in very steep terrain have been reported since the weekend.
Otherwise, no new slab avalanches have been reported since a natural avalanche cycle late last week.
Snowpack Summary
Low-density, facetted snow can be found on the surface, with variable wind effect at higher elevations in exposed terrain.
Recent storm snow continues to bond to a widespread crust found approximately 50 to 100 cm deep.
A previously reactive layer of surface hoar and a crust persists down 90 to 160 cm from the surface. While this layer continues to produce snowpack test results, no recent avalanche activity has occurred on this layer.
The lower snowpack is generally well-bonded and strong.
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 10 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
- Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
- If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Reactive wind slabs may persist in steep exposed terrain around ridge crests, convex rolls, and cross-loaded slopes.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2