Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Glacier.
Wind slabs have been reported to fail under the weight of skiers/riders in convex, unsupported terrain in the Alpine.
Travel in the thick forest continues to be harsh, with dust on a firm crust hiding near-surface rocks, stumps, and open creeks.
Weather Forecast
A benign Wed followed by a significant storm with rising temps on Thurs/Fri
Tonight: Mainly cloudy, Alpine low -14*C, light W ridge-top winds
Wed: Flurries, 5cm, Alpine high -9*C, mod SW ridge-top winds
Thurs: Snow, 25cm, Alpine high -4*C, strong SW winds
Fri: Snow, 15-20cm, Alpine high -3*C, mod SW winds
Snowpack Summary
40-45cm of snow has fallen over the last few days and has been redistributed by 25-40km/hr Southerly winds. At tree line the new snow covers the widespread November 15th crust. Mid-slope wind slabs have been reported in lee features in both the Connaught and Asulkan. Below ~1700m a breakable crust and refrozen snow/ice chunks make for poor travel.
Avalanche Summary
Several skier triggered avalanches, all wind slabs, were reported from Monday afternoon; one from the Pterodactyl, one from Nikki's Notch, and one from steep E-facing alpine terrain between Grizzly Mtn and Little Sifton. These were all mid-slope avalanches, down considerably from ridge-top.
No notable avalanches were observed in the highway corridor
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Moderate S'ly winds have distributed loose surface snow and formed wind slab in the alpine and exposed tree-line areas. A fresh 5cm dusting on top makes it hard to identify these slabs. Of note are the recent skier triggering of mid-slope avalanches.
- Carefully evaluate terrain features by digging and testing on adjacent, safe slopes.
- Use caution on steep lee and cross-loaded slopes
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2