Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 30th, 2022–Dec 31st, 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, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Cariboos, North Rockies, McBride, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency, especially at treeline.

Adopt a conservative approach by sticking to low-consequence terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No natural occurrences were reported recently, but where avalanches did occur naturally, slabs are ready for triggering.

Earlier this week, a rider was accidentally caught in a large avalanche near Yanks Peak. The avalanche was triggered near a rock outcrop and most of the slope slid. Persistent slabs 70-100 cm deep were remotely triggered with large explosives, near Valemount Thursday.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

About 10-15 cm of light snow is overlying 30 to 60 cm of dense storm snow. Under it, a widespread layer of low-density weak facets grains, which gives the snowpack an upside-down feeling. This recent snow may not bond well to previous surfaces that include small surface hoar crystals, sugary faceted grains, and hard wind-packed snow.

At upper elevations, strong winds have redistributed the snow and wind-pressed surfaces can be present. At lower elevations, a rain crust can be found up to 1400 m. A buried weak layer from November lies 60 to 110 cm below the surface. Smaller avalanches may step down to this deeper layer.

The snowpack is still fairly thin and faceted, with roughly 140 to 160 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

A wave from the Pacific will enter the region Friday evening, bringing light accumulations through the weekend. West-facing slopes are likely to see increased amounts. An upper ridge will begin to build early Monday.

Friday night

Increasing cloudiness, light snow 2-4 cm, southwesterly ridge winds at 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -6 °C. Freezing level around 500 m.

Saturday

Cloudy, light snow 2-4 cm, westerly ridge winds at 30 km/h increasing to 50 km/h in the evening, treeline temperatures around -6 °C. Freezing level around 750 m.

Sunday

Cloudy, light snow 2-4 cm, northwesterly ridge winds up to 50 km/, treeline temperatures around -8 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.

Monday

Mainly sunny, no precipitation, southwesterly ridge winds at 20 km/, treeline temperatures around -8 °C. Freezing level at valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
Choose simple, low-angle, well supported terrain without convexities.
Be especially cautious near rock outcroppings, on steep convexities and anywhere the snowpack feels thinner than average.
Pay attention to the wind, once it starts to blow fresh sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.