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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 25th, 2022–Mar 26th, 2022

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

Regions

Cariboos.

Wind slabs may be reactive to human triggering at upper elevations. Use caution in lee and cross-loaded terrain near ridge crests.

Confidence

High - The snowpack structure is generally well understood.

Weather Forecast

FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with light snowfall, up to 5 cm accumulation. 15 to 35 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -6 C.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, up to 5 cm of accumulation, 15-30 km/h southwest winds, alpine temperature rising to -3 C. Freezing level reaching 1700 m.

SUNDAY: Cloudy with precipitation, 5-10 cm of new snow accumulation at higher elevations. 20-40 km/h southwest winds, alpine temperature rising to -3 C. Freezing level reaching 2200 m. 

MONDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, 5 cm accumulation. 15-30 km/h northwest winds, alpine temperature rising to -3 C. Freezing level reaching 2000 m.

Avalanche Summary

Two persistent slab avalanches were reported near Blue River on Thursday, both on south-facing alpine slopes. One was a very large (size 3.5) natural avalanche and the other was a small (size 1.5) slab remotely triggered by riders.

Widespread loose wet and wet slab avalanche activity occurred during the warm-up on Wednesday. 

Looking forward, riders may be able to trigger wind slabs in lee terrain features in steep alpine terrain. It also may be possible to trigger the weak layer described in the Snowpack Summary, where it still exists.

Snowpack Summary

Above 2000 m, 10 to 20 cm of recent snow may have formed wind slabs in lee terrain features from southwest wind. Below 2000 m, up to 10cm of new snow overlies a melt-freeze crust with moist snow below.

A weak layer that is isolated in nature may be found around 40 to 60 cm deep, which has been most prominent in the south of the region (e.g., access points between Clearwater and Valemount). The layer consists of surface hoar crystals in treeline terrain on northerly aspects or weak faceted grains above a hard melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes (i.e., east, south, west). The last avalanche observation on this layer was March 23 near Blue River. The recent warm spell has likely made this layer inactive, but it should still be treated as suspect if you find it in your riding area.

The remainder of the snowpack is well-bonded.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.