Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain

SATURDAY NIGHT: Flurries, up to 15 cm snow. Moderate southeast wind. Freezing level 1000 m.SUNDAY: Continued flurries, up to 10 cm accumulation. Moderate southwest wind gusting strong. Freezing level below 500 m.MONDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Moderate southwest wind. Freezing level below 500 m.TUESDAY: Flurries, 10-15 cm accumulation continuing into Wednesday. Light to moderate southeast wind. Freezing level 500 m and rising.

On Saturday, storm slab avalanches to size 2.5 were triggered with explosives. Cornices controlled by explosives triggered slab avalanches to size 2 on the slopes below. On Friday, explosives triggered storm slab avalanches to size 3 and a skier triggered size 1.5 storm slab avalanche in the Whistler area. While regrouping in the trees, the group felt a settlement and remotely triggered a storm slab 20 m away with a 80-100 m crown.A widespread storm slab avalanche cycle on Thursday was reported in the Sea to Sky region. Storm slabs failing naturally produced very large (size 3) avalanches and skier traffic triggered smaller (size 1-2) avalanches through the day. Most had a depths around 40 cm, representing the total snow accumulated starting Wednesday. Natural avalanche activity is expected to decrease through the weekend, but currently the snowpack is primed for human triggering.

100-130 cm storm snow snow is both settling and being redistributed by strong winds. In the alpine cornices are growing and wind slabs are developing in lee terrain. Above 1850 m, the storm snow remained dry and covered previous wind slabs on south aspects. Extreme alpine winds continue to redistribute snow and develop wind slabs and cornices. At treeline and below, the new storm snow rests on two layers (Jan 1 down 80 cm and Dec 26 down 150-200 cm). These variable layers consist of surface hoar in more sheltered areas and a crust on solar aspects and below 1500m.In the lower snowpack, a weak layer of sugary facets is now 150 to 200 cm deep. There have not been reports of avalanches on this layer for over a week, but it may still be reactive to heavy loads in isolated areas.