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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 1st, 2024–Jan 2nd, 2024

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast Inland, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Retreat to mellower terrain if you see signs of instability like cracking around your skis, feet, or sled.

Small, reactive wind slabs may not be sticking well to a hard layer underneath.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

This MIN post reports a few large (size 2) naturally triggered avalanches east of Pemberton, likely occurring during the storm Saturday night/Sunday morning, with new snow sliding on a hard crust.

No avalanches involving surface hoar/ crust were reported over the last 3 days, but field observations are limited.

If you head into the backcountry, please consider submitting observations and/or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

10-15 cm of settling snow may sit over a thin, frozen crust up to 2000 m.

Underneath, a mix of soft snow and heavily wind-affected snow overlies a thick crust and, in some sheltered areas, surface hoar. Professionals are still concerned about the reactivity of this layer, especially near thin and shallow rocky features.

Overall, the snow depth remains shallow, with average treeline snowpack depths between 80 and 120 cm.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Mostly clear. No precipitation. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5 °C, freezing level around 1100 m.

Tuesday

Partly cloudy. 2-4 cm of snow expected above 900 m. Light south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -3 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. Very light rain/trace of snow expected. Light southwest ridgetop wind. treeline temperature around -2 °C, freezing level around 1000 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 2-5 cm of snow expected above 750 m. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Investigate the bond of the recent snow
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.