Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 8th, 2020 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
ldreier,
Avalanche Canada
Enjoy the sun! Assess the bond of the recent snow with the old snow surface and the crust underneath before committing to high consequence terrain. Wind slabs might still linger in lee terrain features and be sensitive to human triggers especially when exposed to the sun.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
Saturday Night: Clear, light northwest wind, treeline high -6 C, freezing level 1100 m.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, light to moderate northwest wind, treeline high -3 C, freezing level 700 m.
Monday: Mostly sunny, light northwest wind, treeline high 0 C, freezing level 1300 m.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, light to moderate westerly wind, treeline high +1 C, freezing level 800 m.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed on Friday.
A few small (size 1) avalanches were triggered by skiers on Thursday. Numerous natural and human triggered avalanches of size 1 were reported on Wednesday. Most of these avalanches released within the recent storm snow and were 5-15 cm thick.
Snowpack Summary
Friday's storm added 10-25 cm to the recent storm snow of 20-30 cm which sits on a thick rain crust. It is uncertain how well the new snow bonds with the old snow surface and how well the snow bonds with the crust which is about 30-50 cm deep. Several observed avalanches released within the storm snow and some slid on the crust. The snowpack below the crust consists of moist to wet snow and is well settled. Snowpack depths are suspected to be in the range of 150-250 cm around the peaks of the north shore mountains (1400 m), tapering quickly with elevation to almost nothing below 1000 m.
Terrain and Travel
- Don't be too cavalier with decision making, storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
- A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
- Avoid terrain traps such as gullies and cliffs where the consequence of any avalanche could be serious.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Friday's storm added 10-25 cm to the recent storm snow of 20-30 cm which sits on a crust well into the alpine. It is uncertain how well the new snow bonds with the old snow surface and how well the recent storm snow bonds with the crust which is about 30-50 cm deep.
Assess how well the storm snow bonds with the previous snow surface and the crust below before you commit to high consequence terrain.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 9th, 2020 5:00PM
