Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Birkenhead, Brandywine, Duffey, Garibaldi, Homathko, Sea To Sky, South Chilcotin, South Coast Inland, Spearhead, Stein, Tantalus, Taseko.
Cornice falls may trigger large avalanches on slopes below.
Avoid traveling on slopes below cornices and give them a wide berth while traveling on ridetops.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday, several natural cornice failures triggered wind slabs up to size 2.5 on steep, northerly aspects in the alpine near Whistler.
Numerous wet loose avalanches up to size 2 were triggered by solar radiation on solar aspects.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 20 cm of recent snow in the alpine and strong southerly wind formed wind slabs at upper elevations.
The recent snow sits on top a crust, except for northerly aspects at upper elevations where the previous snow surface remained dry.
Recent snow amounts taper quickly with elevation.
The snowpack is generally well-settled and strong, although dormant weak layers may still exist in shallow inland areas like the Duffey and Chilcotin.
Lower elevations are melting out rapidly.
Weather Summary
Sunday Night
Mostly clear. 5 to 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.
Monday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.
Tuesday
Sunny. 5 to 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 4 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.
Wednesday
Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.
- Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
- Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
Avalanche Problems
Cornices
Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 2.5
Wind Slabs
Warm temperatures may increase the likelihood of triggering slabs, especially in steep, rocky, alpine terrain.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2