Regions
Northwest Inland.
Recent snowfall amounts vary greatly across the region with the highest accumulations falling in the southwest of the region. Pay close attention to how much new snow fell in your riding area as this will affect your local Avalanche Danger.
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
On Sunday expect 3-5cm of new snow with another 3-5cm falling on Sunday night. A mix of sun and cloud is forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Winds should be extreme from the southeast on Sunday, easing to mainly light to moderate from the south on Monday and Tuesday. Freezing levels should sit at about 1200m on Sunday, and then drop to about 1000m for Monday and Tuesday.
Avalanche Summary
On Wednesday, a size 3 deep persistent slab avalanche was accidentally triggered by a skier in alpine terrain in the north of the region. To our knowledge, nobody was injured in the incident. The slab, which ran on basal facets, was up to 200cm deep, 200m wide and 500m long. There have been a handful of recent similar avalanches triggered on basal facets in the mountains north of Kispiox. On Friday, a widespread round of storm slab activity to size 2 was reported from the southwest corner of the region where recent storm accumulations were the greatest. Of note, a size 3 natural storm slab avalanche was also reported from the Howson Range area on a steep, north-facing alpine slope.
Snowpack Summary
On Friday and Friday night, 5-20cm of new snow fell with the highest accumulations occurring in the southwest of the region. Strong winds shifted the new snow into new wind slabs at treeline and in the alpine adding to an ongoing wind slab problem. A layer of surface hoar from early January can be found in isolated locations between 60 and 140cm down. There hasn't been any activity reported on this layer for a couple of weeks now and it is becoming less of a concern. In shallower areas the snowpack sits on a weak base layer of facetted snow. Recently, this layer has been active in the north of the region, responsible for several large avalanches in unsupported alpine terrain.
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.
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.