Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, South Coast Inland, Stein, Taseko.
New snow may be sitting on a layer of weak surface hoar and a crust.
Confidence
Low
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported. However, observations have been minimal throughout the early winter.
If you're heading out in the backcountry, please consider sharing any observations on the Mountain Information Network
Snowpack Summary
5 to 15 cm of recent snow may have buried a layer of surface hoar that sits atop a widespread crust. The crust may be supportive at lower elevations, while it becomes thinner and breakable around treeline elevations. In the alpine, this crust appears not to exist, where roughly 20 to 30 cm of recent snow sits on various layers of crusts and facets.
Overall, the snow depth remains relatively shallow, creating challenging travel conditions and numerous hazards present at or just below the snow surface across all elevations.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.
Monday
Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy with no precipitation, south alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °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.
- Keep in mind the crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
- Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Expect to find pockets of freshly formed surface slabs. New snow may be sitting on a layer of surface hoar and/or a crust.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2