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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 18th, 2024–Jan 19th, 2024

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead.

New snow continues to accumulate and may require additional time to properly bond to the underlying surfaces.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Numerous skier-triggered, explosive-triggered, and natural storm slab avalanches were reported on Wednesday. In general, reported avalanches occurred at alpine elevations and on a variety of aspects, up to size 2.

Widespread avalanche activity would lead us to believe that the new snow is poorly bonded to underlying surfaces.

If you head into the backcountry, please consider submitting a MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

Variable alpine winds have redistributed surface snow at higher elevations. New snow has buried a variety of old wind-affected surfaces, along with widespread faceted crystals, which will likely prolong the bonding time between new snow and the surfaces below.

The mid and lower snowpack consists of various old crusts and is generally well-settled and well-bonded.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with 2 to 6 cm of snow, south alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow and a chance of rain at lower elevations, 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing levels up to 2000 m in most areas.

Sunday

Cloudy with trace snow amounts, south alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Carefully monitor the bond between the new snow and old surface.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.