Another sunny and warm day might sustain wet loose avalanche potential on solar aspects. The likelihood for this to be limited to small releases on isolated slopes in extreme terrain keeps danger low.
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Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mainly clear. Light southeast winds.
THURSDAY: Mainly sunny. Light southeast winds shifting southwest. Treeline high temperatures around -1 to 0.
FRIDAY: A mix of sun and cloud. Light southwest winds. Treeline high temperatures around -1.
SATURDAY: Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries and up to 5 cm of new snow. Moderate to strong southeast winds, increasing over the day. Treeline high temperatures around -3.
Avalanche Summary
One recent cornice fall that did manage to trigger a slab was reported from a flight over the Telkwa range on Friday. On Saturday a few small loose dry avalanches were observed in steep, solar, rocky terrain. Otherwise, no new avalanches have been reported in the past few days.
On Thursday, explosives triggered wind slabs up to size 2 on south-south east aspects. On Wednesday, glacial icefall (serac) triggered a large persistent slab avalanche (size 3). This avalanche occurred on a northeast aspect in the alpine and is suspected to have failed on a crust from early April. This avalanche was only possible with an extremely large load and is not suggestive of general conditions in the region as a whole.
Looking forward to Thursday, another sunny day with a slight rise in freezing levels may sustain some potential for small wet loose reactivity.
Snowpack Summary
Generally light new snow amounts, trending up to about 20 cm in the Howsons, have landed on heavily wind-affected surfaces in exposed terrain, the product of an intense wind event early last week. In sheltered areas, the flurries may have added to limited stashes of soft, potentially faceted snow. After warming and a subsequent freeze on Wednesday, it will add to the growing tally of crusts on solar aspects. A more widespread melt-freeze crust can be found 20 to 50 cm deep in most areas, and up to 80 cm in the snowiest parts of the region. This crust is near the surface below 1200 m.
Terrain and Travel
- Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
- Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
Problems
Cornices
Cornices are large this time of year and were likely weakened by recent cold temperatures. Exposure to cornices should be minimized, especially during periods of warm temperatures or strong sun. Give them a wide berth when you are travelling on ridge lines and avoid overhead exposure to large cornices.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Loose Wet
Small wet loose avalanches may still be possible on steep, sun-exposed slopes in the afternoon. Manage your exposure to steep solar slopes if the surface becomes moist or wet.
Aspects: South East, South, South West, West.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Apr 21st, 2022 4:00PM
