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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 6th, 2025–Mar 7th, 2025

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

Regions

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

Assess terrain carefully and practice good group management

The best riding may be on the same features where triggering an avalanche is most likely

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few small wind slab avalanches were triggered on Tuesday and Wednesday with explosives and ski cutting. No other avalanches have been reported in the past 4 days.

However, last week a flurry of very large persistent slab avalanche activity was reported at alpine and treeline elevations. These avalanches are becoming less likely, but the consequences of triggering one remain high.

Snowpack Summary

A new crust likely exists on the surface except on high north facing terrain, where 10 to 15 cm of snow overlies a crust from earlier in March.

A layer of facets and surface hoar from mid February can be found down 30 to 60 cm.

Another layer of facets and surface hoar from late January can be found down 80 to 120 cm.

The lower snowpack contain several crusts that are not concerning.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Increasing cloud. 15 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 20 to 40 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with 40 to 60 cm of snow. 40 to 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.

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.