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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 9th, 2024–Mar 10th, 2024

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

Regions

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Choose conservative, low consequence terrain.

The persistent weak layer is getting to a critical depth and the likelihood of rider triggering is increasing.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Friday skiers in the Blunt Range were able to ski cut size 1 slabs on north facing slopes and reported a lot of whumpfing and shooting cracks.

A size 1.5 persistent slab was triggered remotely by a snowcat in the north of the region on Friday as well.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find 20 to 35 cm of soft, fresh snow in sheltered areas. Moderate to strong winds have formed fresh, reactive slabs in leeward terrain. This new snow covers wind-affected surfaces or a crust on sun exposed slopes and at lower elevations.

There are a variety of weak layers in the upper snowpack that could produce larger avalanches. Most concerning is a layer of weak, faceted crystals sitting on a crust 40 to 80 cm below the snow surface, seen in the snow profile photo below.

The lower snowpack is generally well-bonded and strong.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

A mix of cloud and clear skies with trace amounts of new snow. 10 to 35 km/h south alpine wind.  Treeline temperature -6°C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with around 5 cm of new snow. 35 to 55 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -3°C.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of new snow. 25 to 50 km/h southeast alpine wind. Treeline temperature -6°C.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of  new snow. 30 to 60 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -4°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.

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.

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.