Avalanche Forecast

On Wednesday several small natural and rider-triggered wind slab avalanches were observed in mountains northeast of Hazelton.

On Tuesday, a small (size 1.5) naturally triggered wind slab suspected to be a day old, was observed out of a steep north-facing alpine chute in the Hankin-Evelyn area.

The potential to trigger similar avalanches will remain, as incremental snowfall and continued southerly winds will build fresh wind slabs over the coming days.

15-25 cm of snow has been redistributed by recent strong southwesterly winds. This has created widespread wind effect in the alpine and extends down into the treeline. South and westerly slopes are likely being scoured down to old hard and crusty surfaces, or ground. On north and east faces these new wind slabs may sit on weak faceted grains that could take longer than usual to bond to the snowpack. Soft snow (and likely the best riding) may be found in areas sheltered from the wind.

In the lower snowpack, two surface hoar layers exist and have become unlikely to trigger. The potential remains for small avalanches to overload these deeper layers triggering a larger step-down avalanche.

Thursday Night

Cloudy with 1-4 cm of new snow, southwest alpine wind 50 km/h, treeline temperature -1°C.

Friday

Cloudy with 2-4 cm of new snow / or light rain, southeast alpine wind 55 km/h, treeline temperature -1°C, freezing level rising to 1000 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with 1-5 cm of new snow / or light rain, southwest alpine wind 40-60 km/h, treeline temperature high 1°C, freezing level rising to 1300 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with trace to 2-6 cm of new snow / or light rain, southwest alpine wind 50-60 km/h, treeline temperature 3°C, freezing level rising to 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.