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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 12th, 2024–Jan 13th, 2024

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Tetrahedron.

Watch for reverse loading, as northerly winds have built wind slabs.

Read about managing extreme cold in the backcountry here.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

With north winds transporting snow, reactive wind slabs may exist on slopes in reverse loading patterns.

On Wednesday, size 1 slab avalanches were reported on south-facing treeline slopes.

A widespread avalanche cycle occurred on Monday. For an in depth look at conditions in the North Shore Mountains, check out this update.

Snowpack Summary

Outflow (northerly) winds have transported 40 to 60 cm of recent snow, forming reactive wind slabs in atypical areas and at lower elevations than normal.

In the North Shore Mountains, up to mountaintop in most areas, a crust exists down 10 to 20 cm from a rain event near the end of the last storm.

This overlies 50-80 cm of snow over a crust and a well-settled snowpack.

The last few storms have brought winter to the North Shore Mountains and lower-elevation areas may have reached the threshold for avalanches. Beware of buried early-season hazards.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Clear with no new snow. Northerly winds 15 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperatures drop to -25°C.

Saturday

Sunny with no new snow. Northerly winds 10 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperatures around -15 °C.

Sunday

A few clouds with no new snow. Northerly winds 20 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperatures around -10 °C.

Monday

Mainly sunny with no new snow. Northerly winds 20 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperatures -10°C.

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.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.

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.