Avalanche forecast

Sea To Sky

Feb 26, 2018Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 9 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Wind slabs are expected to be problematic Monday, 25 to 40 cm of recent snow has been formed into a cohesive slab that likely remains sensitive to human triggering. Choose wind sheltered terrain features to avoid the problem and find the best riding!

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2.5
    Strong wind has formed wind slabs that are expected to remain sensitive to human triggering Monday. Wind slabs will be particularly problematic in lee terrain features near ridge crest.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Large cornices have formed along ridgelines. Cornices are inherently unstable, unpredictable, and demand respect, especially when the sun is out.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

The work week kicks off with a rather disorganized pattern that is not expected to generate any significant snowfall, but a significant change looks to be in store as a vigorous low approaches the Sea to Sky region Wednesday afternoon.MONDAY: Clear skies in the morning, a few clouds building in the afternoon, freezing level around 500 m, light west/northwest wind, no significant snowfall expected. TUESDAY: Broken cloud cover, freezing level around 750 m, moderate to strong west/northwest wind, trace of snow possible.WEDNESDAY: Overcast, freezing level around 750 m, potentially strong to extreme south/southwest wind, copious amounts of precipitation possible, but the latest model run shows about 10 cm of snow. Stay tuned for more details. 

Avalanche Summary

Loose dry avalanches and storm slabs were rampant on Saturday to size 1.5. These avalanches were 5 to 20 cm in depth, some failed naturally while others were triggered by skiers and explosive control work.

Snowpack Summary

Around 10 to 20 cm of storm snow fell on Friday and another 15 to 20 cm fell Saturday night into Sunday. Strong to extreme winds out of the south and southeast were recorded in the early hours of Sunday as the storm exited the region. Previous storms have been accompanied by strong south winds. All of this snow fell on previously wind-affected surfaces as well as a sun crust on solar aspects. Also make note of cornices at ridgeline. Variable winds in the past month have produced cornices on all aspects. They will become touchier as they grow in size, as temperatures rise, and as the sun packs a strong punch on clear days.

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