Avalanche Forecast
Regions: South Coast.
Give the storm snow some more time to bond to the surface below before exposing yourself to bigger terrain features.
Confidence
Moderate -
Weather Forecast
Saturday night: low of -3 at 1200m. Snow ending around midnight. Moderate northwest winds.
Sunday: mix of sun and cloud with no new snow expected. Light northerly winds and a high of -2 at 1200m.
Monday: mostly sunny with no new snow expected. Light northerly winds and a high of -3 at 1200m.
Tuesday: mostly sunny with no new snow expected. light north winds and a high of -8 at 1200m.
Avalanche Summary
We suspect skier triggerable wind and storm slabs will have formed on Saturday.
On Thursday ski cutting produced a few size one loose wet avalanches in steep terrain.
Snowpack Summary
New snow accompanied by westerly winds on Saturday will likely have formed storm and wind slabs.
The mid February crust is down 20 to 40cm and exists on all aspects and elevations.
The late-January melt-freeze crust is now down around 70 cm and is reported to be knife hard and up to 30 cm thick. This crust extends to at least the top of treeline and is generally well bonded to the adjacent snow.Â
The middle and lower snowpack are considered well settled and strong.
Terrain and Travel
- Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm and wind slabs will likely still be reactive to rider traffic. Use extra caution near ridge crests where wind slabs will be found.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Very Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2