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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 13th, 2025–Feb 14th, 2025

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

Coquihalla, Harrison-Fraser, Manning, Skagit.

Avalanches are possible where surface snow is stiffer, especially in areas affected by wind or sun.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A notable skier-triggered slab avalanche was reported at Zupjok on Monday (see photo below and full report here). It occurred on a wind-loaded slope and failed on the persistent weak layer. This weak snowpack structure likely exists in specific locations.

Snowpack Summary

15 cm of snow from the weekend has been redistributed by northeast wind in the alpine and at treeline.

A weak layer from late January, buried 40 to 60 cm deep, is a hard crust in many areas but consists of facets or surface hoar on sheltered upper-elevation slopes. This layer has become reactive in snowpack tests and was the failure layer in Monday’s human-triggered avalanche.

A crust from December is buried 80 to 120 cm deep, with facets around it in shallow snowpack areas. Otherwise, the lower snowpack is strong and bonded.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy with 1 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

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.