Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain

An active weather pattern will deliver continued precipitation to the region for the forecast period. Expect daily accumulations of 3-8cm with freezing levels hovering around 800m. Ridgetop winds will be strong to extreme from the southwest on Monday, decreasing to moderate from the south on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Last week, a size 3 deep persistent slab avalanche was accidentally triggered by a skier in alpine terrain in the north of the region. The slab, which ran on basal facets, was up to 200cm deep, 200m wide and 500m long. There have been a handful of recent similar avalanches triggered on basal facets in the mountains north of Kispiox. On Friday, a widespread round of storm slab activity to size 2 was reported from the southwest corner of the region where recent storm accumulations were the greatest. Of note, a size 3 natural storm slab avalanche was also reported from the Howson Range area on a steep, north-facing alpine slope. Ongoing wind slab activity is expected in response to continued snowfall and extreme winds.

Over the past few days daily snowfall accumulations have generally been in the 5-15cm range with the highest accumulations occurring in the southwest of the region. Strong to extreme ridgetop winds have shifted the new snow into new wind slabs at treeline and in the alpine adding to an ongoing wind slab problem. A layer of surface hoar from early January can be found in isolated locations between 60 and 140cm down. There hasn't been any activity reported on this layer for a couple of weeks now and it is becoming less of a concern. In shallower areas the snowpack sits on a weak base layer of facetted snow. Recently, this layer has been active in the north of the region, responsible for several large avalanches in unsupported alpine terrain.