Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Sea To Sky, Spearhead, Tantalus.
An abundance of recent storm snow needs time to settle and bond.
Keep it simple. Enjoy the fresh powder in lower-angled, low-consequence terrain.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
With continuous storm cycles in the past week, numerous natural and human-triggered storm slab avalanches have been reported throughout the region.
Stick to conservative terrain and watch for changing conditions. Rider-triggered avalanches remain likely on Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
An additional 5 to 10 cm is expected on Saturday, which will bring this week's storm totals to 100 to 150 cm of new snow. The storm snow is settling out rapidly. This sits on a weak layer formed in early March that consists of a crust on all aspects except high north-facing slopes and facets or surface hoar in some areas.
Weak layers formed in mid-February and late January are now buried 150 to 250 cm deep. We suspect these layers have mainly healed, but observations have been limited by stormy conditions.
Below this, the snowpack is well-settled and strong.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Increasing cloud cover. 5 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 900 m.
Saturday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of new snow. 15 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 C. Freezing level 1100 m.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
Monday
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level rising to 1200 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid lee and cross-loaded slopes at alpine and treeline elevations.
- Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeply buried weak layers and result in very large avalanches.
- Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Continuous storms in the past week have left numerous storm slab interfaces in the top 100 cm of the snowpack. Fresh, reactive slabs are expected to form on Saturday with new snow and wind.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5
Persistent Slabs
A weak layer formed in early March is now buried 100 to 150 cm.
Addition layers formed in January and February are now buried 150 to 250 cm. We suspect these deeper layers are healing, but observations are limited.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 2 - 4