Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Sea To Sky, Spearhead, Stave, Tantalus.
Watch for freshly wind loaded features, especially around ridgelines and in steep terrain.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday reports were limited to a few explosives cornice releases to size 2 and thin size 1 wind and storm slab releases in steep alpine terrain.
On Friday natural and skier triggered slabs were reported from steep terrain features at higher elevations to size 2. Check out this MIN from Mt Pattison. Small loose wet avalanches were also reported on sun affected slopes as skies cleared.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 10 cm of storm snow fell on Saturday, with deeper deposits to be found in wind affected terrain features. This new snow sits over 50 cm of settling snow at higher elevations, tapering rapidly with elevation due to the recent warm temperatures.
Below 1600m new snow may sit directly on a thick melt freeze crust which is helping to strengthen the snowpack.
The lower snowpack is still being monitored by professionals. The late December crust is down 70 to 120 cm. This crust can be found in the alpine but is thin and breakable. Near the base of the snowpack, there is a weak facet/crust layer that formed in mid-November. Although unlikely, there remains a concern for large loads (e.g. cornice failure) to trigger or riders to trigger these layers in thin spots. In general, the current snowpack is thinner and weaker than typical.
Weather Summary
Sunday night
Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries. Light to moderate west and northwest wind. Alpine high of -8 °C. Freezing level around 500 m.
Monday
Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries. Light to moderate west and northwest wind. Alpine high of -7 °C. Freezing level around 700 m.
Tuesday
Mainly cloudy. Moderate northwest wind. Alpine high of -5 °C. Freezing level around 900 m.
Wednesday
Mix of sun and cloud. Light north and northwest wind. Alpine high of -1 °C. Freezing level around 1800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Winds switching directions have formed slabs on a variety of aspects.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2