Avalanche forecast

Vancouver Island

Dec 10 – 11, 2024Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 2 years ago

Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Wet loose avalanches are most likely when new snow sees warming for the first time.

Triggerable wind slabs may still exist in alpine terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Recent storm snow may remain reactive to rider-triggering in wind-loaded areas, particularly where it overlies a slick crust.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    New snow weakens as it sees warm temperatures for the first time. Watch steep, solar slopes and areas around rocks where these small avalanches could be easier to trigger.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of recent snowfall overlies a crust.

Snow depths at treeline vary across the region from 230 cm near Mt. Washington to 130 cm near Mt Cain.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days, but field observations are limited.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network (MIN) report.

Confidence

Moderate

Weather Summary

Monday Night

High cloud increasing. 15 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Tuesday

High cloud with a trace of precipitation. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 0 to 15 mm of precipitation, falling as snow above 750 m. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with 5 to 50 mm of precipitation, falling as snow above 1000 m. 60 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

Regions covered