Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 14th, 2019 4:28PM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is moderate, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs and Loose Wet.

dsaly, Avalanche Canada

South Coast Inland.

One last day of warmth. Use caution around cornices and steep slopes until the temperatures drop. Avalanche danger is considerable in the far north of the region.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT: Clear with cloudy periods. Freezing level below 1300 m, temperature inversion with cooler air in the valleys. Alpine high near +3. Light winds. TUESDAY: Sunny and warm. Freezing level below 1500 m, temperature inversion. Alpine high near +3. Light southeast winds. WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Freezing level near 1400 m. Alpine high near -2. Light winds. THURSDAY: Cloudy with flurries, 5-10 cm. Freezing level below 1400 m. Alpine high near -3. Light to moderate south-southeast winds.More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Avalanche Summary

One very large (size 3) natural slab avalanche was observed on Chipmunk Mountain near Pemberton. This avalanche occurred either Friday or Saturday on a north aspect between 1600-1950 m in un-skiable terrain.Size 1-2 loose wet avalanches were reported on Saturday and Sunday.Small cornice falls were observed near the Coquihalla on Saturday, and on Sunday cornices were triggered by explosives near Duffey Lake. In the neighboring Sea to Sky region, several large cornice falls have occurred during the warm spell - beware if you are in cornice country.

Snowpack Summary

Due to warming, cornices are likely to be weak if you encounter them. Melt-freeze crusts are likely on south aspects, and on all aspects below about 1900 m. A limited overnight freeze is expected, so crusts may break down quickly with daytime warming, potentially leading to loose wet avalanche conditions.Warmth has promoted settlement of the snowpack and helped bond old wind slabs. At alpine at sheltered treeline elevations, variable areas of wind slabs and dry snow may be found. However, a generally well-settled upper snowpack is reported, with supportive crusts in the upper snowpack that are isolating deeper snowpack weaknesses. Most of our observations come from the Duffey Lake and Coquihalla regions, so if you are venturing further afield, the local snowpack may not be as strong. Please investigate.There remains a small chance of triggering a deeply buried crust/facet layer with a heavy trigger such as a cornice fall, or from a thin spot.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Shaded aspects still hold cold, dry snow. Be cautious around cornices and look for wind slabs in lee terrain features.

Be alert to conditions that change with elevation.Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.If triggered the wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible - Likely

Expected Size

1.5 - 2

Loose Wet

Sun and warm temperatures can cause loose wet and wet slab avalanche conditions. Look for clues like sticky snow, rollerballing or recent avalanche activity that indicate the snowpack is losing strength.

Watch for terrain traps where small amounts of snow will acumulate into deep deposits.Watch for clues, like sluffing off of cliffs, that the snowpack is warming up.

Aspects: East, South East, South, South West, West.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible - Likely

Expected Size

1.5 - 2

Valid until: Jan 15th, 2019 2:00PM