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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 23rd, 2023–Feb 24th, 2023

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot.

Wind slabs at upper elevations are the main concern. Keep in mind you may find them on a variety of aspects with recent shifting winds.

Sheltered terrain will offer the best and safest riding.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, skiers were able to trigger small (size 1) isolated pockets of stiff wind slab in alpine and treeline terrain.

Most recent avalanche activity has been reported as size 1-1.5 wind slabs and storm slabs in the alpine, mainly formed by recent northerly winds.

Snowpack Summary

Northerly winds have redistributed new snow and formed stiff wind slabs in exposed areas. In sheltered areas, surface faceting due to cold temperatures and/or soft surface snow remains.

There are two crusts with facets sitting above, which are buried in the snowpack down 60-180cm in the alpine and treeline elevation bands. These crust/facet layers have been responsible for several large avalanches in the past 2 weeks in the Brandywine and Pemberton Icefield areas.

Weather Summary

Thursday night

Clear. Alpine temperatures around -23 °C. Ridge wind northeast 15 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Friday

Sunny with cloudy periods. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -13 °C. Light variable ridge wind. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Saturday

Cloudy with snowfall beginning in the afternoon, 5 cm of accumulation. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -10 °C. Ridge wind southwest 25 km/h gusting to 50 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Sunday

Cloudy with snowfall, 5-15 cm of accumulation. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -9 °C. Ridge wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 50 km/h. Freezing level: 700 meters.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.

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.