Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 13th, 2023–Mar 14th, 2023

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast, Garibaldi, Powell River, Tantalus, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Snow accumulating throughout the day will build upon reactive storm slabs.

Seek out sheltered areas for the best riding and use conservative decision-making until the snow settles.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

To the immediate north of our region, there were three wind slab avalanches reported. These were size ones that were triggered accidentally and naturally. These were found at elevations as low as below treeline.

A natural size one wind slab avalanche was reported in the Sky Pilot area on Sunday. This was in the alpine on an east aspect. More of the same, as well as storm slabs, should be expected from the weather that has been hitting our region since this report was submitted.

Snowpack Summary

Sitting on top of a sun crust on solar aspects and a melt-freeze crust at lower elevation, you can find up to 40 cm of new snow that started accumulating on Friday. Because of this crust the recent snow may not bond well. Southerly winds have also created wind slabs in exposed terrain at higher elevations.

In general, the mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and bonded.

If you are a visual learner click here to get a look and explanation of the current snowpack.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy, 6 cm accumulation, winds southwest 25 to 30 km/h, with freezing levels falling to 600 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with sunny breaks late in the day, 5 to 10 cm accumulation, winds southwest 30 to 35 km/h, freezing levels 500 rising to 1000 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with periods of sun, trace accumulation, winds northwest 15 km/h gusting to 30, freezing levels 500 rising to 1000 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud, no accumulation, winds southeast 15 to 20 km/h, freezing levels rising to 1600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

As the storm slab problem gets trickier, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.