Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Haines Pass, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West, Yukon.
New snow and wind continue to keep wind slabs reactive to rider traffic.
Use caution as you enter wind effected terrain.
Confidence
No Rating
Avalanche Summary
Natural size 1 wind slab avalanches were reported in the eastern area of white pass on Wednesday.
Snowpack Summary
10-15 cm of recent snow, with greater amounts in western White Pass, is being redistributed by primarily southerly winds.
Reports indicate that eastern areas of White Pass have a shallower, weaker snowpack. A buried layer of surface hoar or a hard crust, 30 to 50 cm deep, has produced recent cracking, whumpfs, and remains reactive in tests.
A December crust with facets sits 100 to 150 cm deep on all aspects up to 1750 m. This layer has not shown recent activity or significant test results.
Snow depth ranges from 100 cm at highway elevations to over 300 cm in the alpine.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with 0 to 1 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 30 km/h southeast wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 30 km/h southeast wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
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.
- Shooting cracks, whumpfs, and recent avalanches are strong indicators of an unstable snowpack.
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind slabs will be most reactivity where they sit over facets or surface hoar.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 2.5