Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Babine, Howson, Hudson Bay, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, Northwest Inland, South Bulkley, Telkwa.
Small wind slabs may be rider-triggerable at higher elevations.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
On Friday near Kispiox, wind slabs were reported to be small and hard to trigger along ridgetops and steep entrances.
Several size 2 to 2.5 (large) natural wind slab avalanches were reported in the alpine, occurring more than 3 days ago.
Otherwise, there has been very limited recent avalanche activity.
If you go into the backcountry this weekend, consider submitting a MIN report.
Snowpack Summary
5 to 10 cm of new snow redistributed by recent winds overlies previously well-settled or wind-affected firm surfaces which may have a layer of weak, feathery crystals on top.
Below this, there is a thick and hard melt-freeze crust that extends into the alpine. The 5 cm of snow buries this crust at lower elevations.
The middle of the snowpack contains old, weak faceted layers and hard crusts, which do not currently present a concern.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Partly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Sunday
Partly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Monday
Few clouds. 40 to 60 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Tuesday
Few clouds. 30 to 50 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Small pockets of wind slabs may exist in steep, wind-loaded terrain features at higher elevations. Watch for cross-loaded features.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, South West, West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5