Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Mar 25th, 2012 10:51AM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is moderate, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Loose Wet, Cornices and Wind Slabs.

mpeter, Avalanche Canada

Sea To Sky.

Summary

Confidence

Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain

Weather Forecast

Monday: Expect clouds to build through the afternoon, with light southerly winds and freezing levels to 1500m. Tuesday: Unsettled skies with occasional light flurries and freezing levels reaching 1400m. Winds stay southerly but begin to increase later in the day. Wednesday: Flurries developing through the day with accumulations of 10-15cm. Winds continue to blow moderate from the south with freezing levels reaching 1000m.

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche activity includes loose moist sluffs to size 2.0 from daytime warming as well as isolated natural cornice releases to size 2.0. Thin windslabs up to size 1.5 have also been seen.

Snowpack Summary

The recent warm, clear weather has left us with an aggressive melt freeze crust on solar aspects well into the alpine while shady, dead north slopes have grown some small surface hoar and remain powdery. Today's predominant cloud cover will likely keep the softening of the crust to a minimum. Cornices loom in the alpine and old windslabs linger on lee aspects in the alpine and open treeline. The vast amount of recent storm snow continues to settle and bond while deeper in the snowpack the persistent weakness from mid February remain a concern due to continued sudden planar test results.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose wet avalanches are still possible on solar aspects if the sun pokes.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible - Likely

Expected Size

1 - 4

Cornices

Cornices are very large and may become more fragile with daytime warming.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 6

Wind Slabs

Wind slabs lurk below ridges, behind terrain features and in gullies. They may be buried by new snow, making them hard to spot.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible - Likely

Expected Size

1 - 4

Valid until: Mar 26th, 2012 9:00AM