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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2021–Apr 3rd, 2021

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

High elevation north aspects hold the best snow but are also the most likely place to encounter wind slabs. Be ready to back off slopes as warm temperatures moisten and weaken the upper snowpack. Check out our latest blog post on managing these not-quite-yet-spring conditions.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Friday night: Partly cloudy. Light southwest winds, strong above 2500 m. Alpine temperatures around -2. Freezing levels dropping to 1000 m in the north and holding at 2000 m in the south.

Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud with cloud increasing. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around 0. Freezing levels to 2100 m.

Sunday: 5-15 cm new snow arriving overnight in the north and during the day in the south. Light southwest wind shifting northwest over the day. Alpine high temperatures around -5. Freezing level 1600 m.

Monday: Sunny. Light to moderate west wind. Alpine high temperatures around -2. Freezing level 2000 m.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday and Thursday, natural and skier triggered loose wet avalanches were reported on solar aspects size 1-2.5. 

Sporadic slab avalanches around size 2 have also been observed running on one or more of our recent curst layers. On Wednesday a larger (size 2), 45 cm-deep slab was triggered by a snowcat push in the Selkirks and is suspected to have failed on a surface hoar layer from late March.

Snowpack Summary

Surface crusts exist on solar aspects and below about 2000 metres. Above this elevation, 20-50 cm of recent snow in the Selkirk mountains and 10-20 in the Monashees has otherwise seen some redistribution by southwest to northwest wind, and seems to be bonding well with underlying surfaces.

At alpine and treeline elevations, a few layers of note are buried 50-100 cm deep including a layer of small surface hoar crystals on shady, wind-sheltered aspects and a series of crusts on solar aspects and below 1800 m. Overall the snow seems to be bonding well to these interfaces, although there have been a few isolated avalanches running on deeper crust layers in the past week.

Terrain and Travel

  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
  • Extra caution is needed around cornices under the current conditions.
  • Avoid steep slopes when air temperatures are warm, or solar radiation is strong.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.