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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 11th, 2022–Apr 12th, 2022

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal.

Strong outflow wind will cause heightened avalanche danger at upper elevations. Be careful around freshly wind-loaded slopes.

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the speed, direction, or duration of the wind and its effect on the snowpack.

Weather Forecast

MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with scattered flurries bringing up to 5 cm of snow along the coast and less inland, 20-30 km/h wind from the east, treeline temperatures drop to -15 C.

TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, no significant precipitation, 40-60 km/h wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures around -12 C.

WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, no precipitation, 20 km/h wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures around -10 C.

THURSDAY: Mostly sunny, no precipitation, 30-40 km/h wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures around -8 C.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity decreased over the weekend following the large natural avalanche cycle that occurred at the end of last week. On Sunday, there were a few large natural wind slab avalanches on north-facing slopes (size 2 to 2.5), some of which were triggered by cornices. There were also some small wet loose avalanches on sun-exposed slopes. One small human-triggered wind slab (size 1) was reported in the northern part of the region.

Looking ahead, wind slab avalanches will be possible on all aspects as the wind shifts to the northeast. Cornices and wet loose avalanches should also be on your radar this time of year.

Snowpack Summary

It's been a snowy and cold spring. Above 1200 m, 80 to 120 cm of settled storm snow rests on a hard melt-freeze crust from late March. That interface has not produced any recent activity. Open terrain will become wind-affected on Tuesday with the arrival of outflow winds.

Note that cornices are very large and exposure to them should be minimized, especially during warm or windy weather.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.
  • The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.

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.