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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 29th, 2025–Jan 30th, 2025

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

Regions

Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Howson.

Conditions will remain dangerous after the storm. The new snow needs time to strengthen.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Wednesday's storm likely caused a natural avalanche cycle, particularly in wind-affected alpine terrain. Moving forward, triggering storm slabs will be the primary concern, especially on slopes where they bond poorly to underlying surface hoar or crusts.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 40 cm of snow fell on Wednesday, with southwest winds depositing more in lee areas. This new snow may bond poorly to underlying layers, which could include:

  • Large surface hoar crystals in sheltered spots at treeline and below

  • Crusts on solar slopes

  • Old wind-affected snow

A layer of surface hoar from early January is buried 20 to 40 cm deep, though it's uncertain whether this layer will persist.

100 to 200 cm deep in the snowpack are layers of crust, facets, and possibly surface hoar that were buried in December.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

Sunny. 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.