New snow totals are uncertain in this weather pattern. Danger ratings are based on 5-15 cm of new snow. If snowfall amounts are greater than 20 cm, the danger is CONSIDERABLE and time to dial back your terrain use while avoiding overhead hazard.
Summary
Confidence
Low - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
Sunday: 5-10cm of snow Saturday overnight to Sunday with another 5-10 cm possible during the day / Moderate gusting strong west winds / Freezing level at 1500mMonday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries / Light north westerly winds / Freezing level at 1200mTuesday: Isolated flurries (5cm possible) / Light to moderate south westerly winds / Freezing level 1000m.
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday we received reports of a skier triggered size 1.5 avalanche near Whistler on a north west aspect around 2100m.On Friday ski cutting produced several size 1 soft slabs on immediate down wind (lee) features. Explosives control on Thursday and Friday triggered cornices at ridge crests, mostly size 1.5 - 2.
Snowpack Summary
Over the past two days 7-12 cm of new snow has fallen as temperatures warmed up to +2 at tree line on Saturday afternoon. Winds, however, were strong to extreme from the south, creating fresh wind slabs in exposed downwind (lee) terrain. At lower treeline and below, generally light amounts of snow or rain now overlie a melt-freeze crust which formed during last Monday's warm storm. The new snow adds to the 170cm of snow that fell during the last few weeks of January. These series of storms were accompanied by strong to extreme winds which resulted in extensive scouring and impressive cornice growth in upper elevation terrain. These accumulations sit on a crust from mid-January which generally shows signs of bonding to the overlying snow; however, it has the potential to "wake-up" with a large trigger such as a cornice fall.Below this, the snowpack is thought to be generally strong and well-settled.
mgrist,
Avalanche Canada
