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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 13th, 2025–Jan 14th, 2025

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Solar input and 0 °C alpine temperatures may trigger a natural avalanche cycle on solar slopes.

Minimize exposure to overhead hazards when solar radiation is strong.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Throughout the weekend we received numerous reports of natural (up to size 2.5) and rider-triggered (up to size 2) wind slab avalanches. These avalanche reports spanned all aspects at alpine and treeline. As wind dies off natural wind slab avalanche activity will likely decrease but slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering. Evaluate slopes individually for slabs before committing to them.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find wind-affected surfaces on all aspects of the alpine and on exposed features at treeline. The freshest and most reactive wind slabs are found on southerly aspects. In sheltered areas at treeline and below 20 cm of low-density snow overlies faceted snow or surface hoar in sheltered areas, and wind-affected surfaces in exposed areas.

An otherwise right-side-up snowpack appears to be bonding well to a crust buried 70 to 100 cm deep. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and bonded with no layers of concern.

SH 1700 m down and facets 1700 m yup.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Mostly clear skies. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. An above freezing layer develops between 1700 and 2500 m.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny. 15 to 25 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing levels 2500 m.

Wednesday

Mostly sunny. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing levels 2500 m.

Thursday

Partly cloudy with light flurries, 1 to 2 cm. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing levels drop to the valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid sun-exposed slopes, especially if the snow surface is moist or wet.
  • Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Carefully manage your exposure to overhead hazards.

Problems

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.

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.