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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 5th, 2025–Jan 6th, 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, 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

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Pockets of wind slab may remain triggerable by riders in lee features near ridgetop.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

This MIN from near Duffey Lake on Friday describes shooting cracks and small natural and skier-triggered wind slab avalanches on west aspect in the alpine.

Snowpack Summary

5 to 10 cm of recent snow blankets soft and/or moderately wind-affected surfaces. The top 30 cm of soft snow sits over a crust up to 2000 m and wind-hardened surfaces at higher elevations.

A second crust is buried 60 to 100 cm deep and may have a layer of surface hoar sitting above it. There is uncertainty over its reactivity. It is most likely to be a concern in wind-affected, thin, and rocky start zones at higher elevations.

The remainder of the mid and lower snowpack is well settled.

Snow depths at treeline are roughly 100 to 150 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday night

Clear. 5 to 15 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday

Sunny. 5 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Above freezing layer developing overnight.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.

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.