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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 17th, 2025–Feb 18th, 2025

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

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Stewart, Kispiox, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, North Bulkley, South Bulkley.

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

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

  • Sunday: Skiers were involved in an avalanche in the East Boulder Creek area. Check out This MIN report for more details.

  • Saturday: One large (size 2) wind slab was reported on a northwest aspect in the alpine.

    Operators in the area are still concerned about a weak layer of facets over a crust from early December that has produced large avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

Previous strong winds have scoured terrain at treeline and above on all aspects. 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

Monday Night

Partly cloudy. 10 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Tuesday

Mix of sun and clouds. 20 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy. 0-2cm of snow. 10-20km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature-10 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with flurries. 8cm of snow. 25 to 35 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
  • Pay attention to isolated wind affected features in the alpine, as well as cross-loaded features at treeline.

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.