Enjoy the much improved riding conditions but keep an eye out for terrain traps where the consequences of being caught in a small sluff or slab could be severe.
Summary
Confidence
High
Weather Forecast
Monday: Cloudy with flurries and clearing in the afternoon. The freezing level is around 600-700 m and winds are light from the SW. Tuesday: A mix of sun and cloud. The freezing level remains near 500-600 m and winds are light and variable. Wednesday: Periods of snow. The freezing level is around 800-1000 m and winds are moderate from the S-SE.
Avalanche Summary
There was a report of a size 1 accidentally triggered slab avalanche near Whistler on Saturday. Skier testing and explosives control also produced several size 1 soft slabs and loose dry avalanches. On Friday, A few natural size 2-3.5 persistent slab avalanches were reported near Whistler. Some may have started as loose wet slides that stepped down and triggered deep slabs. All of these slides were from slopes near treeline (1800-2000 m). These likely occurred during the height of the storm on Thursday night.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 50 cm of dry new snow sits on 60-80 cm of moist settled snow from last week's warm storm system, or a rain crust below around 1800 m. Expect to find pockets of fresh wind slab in exposed lee terrain and the potential for loose dry avalanches on steep open slopes. Cornices are also becoming large and potentially weak. Where it still exists, the mid-January surface hoar layer is between 100 and 180 cm below the surface. The combination of heavy storm loading and warm temperatures has likely flushed out this weak layer in most areas. However, there is still some uncertainty regarding the sensitivity and distribution of this persistent avalanche problem, especially at high elevations in the north of the region where it remains reactive in snowpack tests.
pmarshall,
Avalanche Canada
