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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 30th, 2023–Mar 31st, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.

Snow and wind arrive on Friday. Amounts will vary widely throughout our region.

Seek out sheltered areas free of wind slabs and be wary of how the new snow is bonding to old surfaces.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday there was a skier-triggered wind slab avalanche in our area. It was size 0.5 and partially buried the person but there were no injuries.

Two size-one wind slab avalanches were reported on Monday. These were skier controlled and naturally caused. They were on north-facing aspects and were at a depth of 5 cm failing on the recent snow.

Snowpack Summary

New snow falling Friday will be redistributed by southwest winds.

Below the new snow is a melt-freeze crust that exists on all aspects at treeline and below, and on solar aspects to the mountain top. On high north aspects is a mixture of decomposing dry snow and small surface hoar in isolated locations.

The mid-snowpack is generally strong but the lower snowpack is a different story.

A weak layer of sugary facets is still prominent at the base of the snowpack. Small surface avalanches and cornice falls are the most likely things to trigger this layer. However, there remains a concern for human triggering in rocky, shallow, or thin-to-thick snowpack areas at treeline and above.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy, trace accumulation, winds southwest 15 to 20 km/h, freezing level dropping down to valley bottom.

Friday

Cloudy, 5 to 10 cm accumulation, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h gusting to 50, freezing level up to 1300 m.

Saturday

Cloudy, 5 to 10 cm accumulation overnight and potentially another 5 to 10 during the day, winds southwest 15 to 25 km/h, freezing levels at the valley bottom.

Sunday

Cloudy, up to 10 cm accumulation, winds variable and light, freezing level at the valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.