Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Mar 4th, 2015 3:00PM

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

pgoddard, Avalanche Canada

Sea To Sky.

Watch for thin wind slabs in the alpine that could be problematic, especially in technical terrain.

Summary

Confidence

Good - Due to the number and quality of field observations

Weather Forecast

The weather over the next three days looks relatively benign, with cloudy skies. Light flurries are expected on Thursday and again on Saturday. The freezing level makes a gradual rise towards 2000 m by Saturday, Winds are light to moderate from the W to NW.

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, a skier triggered a small size 1 hard wind slab in a cross-loaded terrain feature. A skier was involved in a small wind slab avalanche on a S/SE facing alpine feature on Saturday. See more here: http://bit.ly/1BQ4JtP. Otherwise there has been little avalanche activity over the last few days.

Snowpack Summary

North and west winds (mainly from the north) have created isolated stiff wind slabs 5 to 10 cm thick on lee slopes. On other slopes you may find tired old wind slabs, a sun crust on all solar aspects, surface hoar, surface facets, and/or up to 5 cm of soft snow over a widespread supportive rain crust in wind sheltered areas. The snowpack is generally strong and well settled. However, large cornices may become weak with daytime warming.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Outflow winds have created small new wind slabs on lee and cross-loaded slopes. These can be triggered by the weight of a person. Also, keep an eye out for large unstable cornices that threaten your route.

Give cornices a wide berth when travelling on or below ridges.>Be cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.>Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.>

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

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Mar 5th, 2015 2:00PM