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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 16th, 2024–Mar 17th, 2024

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

Regions

Haines Pass.

Southwest winds have formed deposits of reactive wind slab.

Seek out sheltered terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday a size 3 avalanche occurred in Haines Pass, running over the highway.

A few size 1.5 wind slab avalanches were reported by the Field Team in the Nadahini area on Thursday, failing below corniced ridgeline features. Skiers were able to trigger wind slab deposits on north- and east-facing slopes near Haines Junction.

If you go into the backcountry, please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Moderate and strong south winds have redistributed 30 cm of new snow. Deeper, more reactive deposits exist in leeward terrain. Many windward features are stripped back to the ground.

A weak layer of faceted crystals or surface hoar found 50 to 80 cm deep remains a concern. A crust exists buried 100 cm deep. The midpack is generally facetted to the ground.

With warm temperatures on Saturday, a surface crust may have formed at the surface at lower elevations, up to 1500 m.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 3 cm of snow expected. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures -1 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with snow flurries. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Monday

Cloudy with snow flurries. 15 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy. 30 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -3 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

For more details, see the Mountain Weather Forecast.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.

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.