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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 6th, 2023–Jan 7th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot.

Be aware of conditions that change with elevation. Reactive wind slabs exist in wind exposed terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

At the time of writing reports are just starting to come in. A widespread natural wind slab cycle to size 2 has likely taken place Thursday night/Friday morning. These avalanches were likely on all aspects at treeline and above.

Snowpack Summary

Ongoing southerly winds have formed wind slab on northerly terrain, However a period of strong northerly wind Thursday night may have formed wind slab on some south facing slopes. In sheltered terrain up to 40cm of new storm snow can be found.

In Sheltered terrain at treeline, a new layer of surface hoar is now down 20 to 40cm. A thick crust formed in late December is down 40 to 70cm. at lower elevations this crust is up to 15cm thick, in the alpine it is thin and breakable.

Near the base of the snowpack, a weak facet/crust layer from mid November can be found and is still a concern. In general the snowpack is weak, faceted and shallow.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with around 5cm of new snow expected. Strong southerly winds. Freezing level around 1300m.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 to 10cm of new snow expected. Southeast winds easing to light in the afternoon. Freezing levels rising to 1500m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 5 to 10cm of new snow expected. Moderate to strong southerly winds and freezing levels around 1500m.

Monday

Cloudy with flurries bringing 5 to 10cm of new snow. Moderate to strong southerly winds and a high of -4 at 1500m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.