Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Mar 8th, 2022 3:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
JMackenzie,
Avalanche Canada
Lots of good skiing to be found, but continue to watch for pockets of wind slab at upper elevations. Buried sun crusts on solar aspects could be reactive in steeper terrain, especially during periods of intense solar radiation.
Summary
Confidence
High -
Weather Forecast
Wednesday will be mostly sunny and cold with temps ranging from -28 to -15. Winds will be generally light from the north.
Thursday is mainly cloudy and slightly warmer, with a slight chance of flurries in the afternoon.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed on Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 15cm of new snow in the past 24 hours brings recent storm snow totals to between 40 and 60cm. The recent snow remains low density with isolated wind effect in wind prone areas of the Alpine. On solar aspects a series of buried sun crusts are interspersed with soft snow, which is tending to make the ski quality poor on solar aspects. Forecasters continue to monitor the Feb 19th interface (sun crust on solar aspects and hard slab everywhere else) now buried 40 to 60cm. This interface has produced a small amount of natural avalanches in past days, and may become more of a problem as the density of the recent storm snow increases (due to warming, wind and/or settlement). Take the time to dig down frequently and evaluate the bond at this interface.
Terrain and Travel
- Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
- Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
- Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Watch for wind slabs in the Alpine in lee and cross-loaded features.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
Carefully evaluate the bond of the recent snow to the underlying crust. Steep solar aspects and unsupported terrain should be carefully considered or avoided. Intense solar input will make this problem much more reactive.
Aspects: South East, South, South West, West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 9th, 2022 3:00PM
