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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 17th, 2024–Jan 18th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Cariboos, North Rockies, McBride, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson.

Wind slabs may be reactive to riders especially where they are sitting on a crust or a weak layer at treeline and above.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Isolated wind slab were reactive to skier traffic on Tuesday.

Pockets of wind slab may continue to be reactive to rider triggers, especially on southerly-facing slopes.

Snowpack Summary

New snow up to 20 cm with moderate to strong northeast winds may have formed fresh wind slabs. The new low-density snow may show a poor bond to old snow surfaces including surface hoar, faceted snow and wind-pressed snow.

A crust up to 1900 m is found down 30-50 cm. In areas east of Quesnel and Williams Lake, reports say there is also a layer of surface hoar associated with the crust. This may also exist in sheltered alpine terrain features.

The midpack is reportedly well-settled and supportive.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear periods. Ridgetop wind 25 km/h from the east. Treeline temperatures near -19 C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop wind 20-25 km/h from the south and treeline temperatures near -8 C. Possible weak temperature inversion in the alpine.

Friday

New snow 5-10 cm. Ridgetop wind 25-35 km/h from the southwest. Treeline temperature -3 C.

Saturday

New snow 5-15 cm. Ridgetop winds light from the southwest. Treeline temperatures near -3 C. Freezing levels 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Be carefull with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.