Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Sea To Sky, Sky Pilot, Spearhead, Tantalus.
Continue to assess how new snow is bonding to underlying surfaces.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
Reports suggest a natural avalanche cycle occurred Wednesday morning, with storm slab and loose dry avalanches occurring up to size 2.
If you head into the backcountry, please consider submitting a MIN report.
Snowpack Summary
Approximately 10 to 20 cm of low-density new snow has buried a variety of old wind-affected surfaces in exposed terrain treeline and above.
In sheltered terrain, the new snow has buried faceted snow, with the possibility of isolated pockets of surface hoar, primarily around treeline elevations.
The mid and lower snowpack consists of various old crusts and is generally well-settled and well-bonded.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear with no precipitation, northwest alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with no precipitation, south alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 30 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
- Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
- Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
New snow may not be bonding to the faceted and wind-affected snow below.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2