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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 12th, 2025–Feb 13th, 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, human triggered possible.
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

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Stewart, Kispiox, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw.

Avoid areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin and triggering weak layer is more likely.

The snowpack is complex and contains multiple layers of concern.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in the region by 4 pm on Wednesday.

Sunday, a natural, size 3, deep persistent slab avalanche was reported in the Kispiox area. This avalanche is suspected to have occurred on Feb 8. The crown was 200 cm deep and it occurred on a north aspect at 1670 m.

Saturday, a skier accidentally triggered a deep persistent slab, size 2, on a northeast aspect at 1700 m. The crown was 60 cm deep. This avalanche ran on the Dec weak layer.

Snowpack Summary

Previous strong northeast outflow winds have scoured windward terrain and loaded south and west facing slopes at all elevations. Ongoing cold temperatures have softened the surface of wind affected terrain in many areas. In sheltered terrain 30 to 60 cm of faceted snow overlies a crust and layer of surface hoar from late January.

Another layer of surface hoar was buried near the middle of January and can be found 50 to 100 cm deep.

A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December varies in depth from 100 to 300 cm. This layer remains a concern in this region.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear. 15 to 25 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Thursday

Mainly sunny. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud. 30 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and slopes above cliffs.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

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.