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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 6th, 2024–Mar 7th, 2024

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Stewart, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Assess your line before committing, the upper snowpack is not well bonded to a crust underneath.

Avalanche activity may be decreasing, but human-triggered avalanches are still possible.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Snowpack tests conducted by our field team at Hankin on Tuesday indicated that the persistent weak layer remains concerning. Touchy fractures 45 cm below the surface.

Also, east of Ningunsaw Park, a couple of rider remote-triggered avalanches were reported on southeast aspects in alpine terrain.

Field observations have been limited, if you head out, please consider submitting a Mountain Information Network post.

Snowpack Summary

In alpine and open treeline areas expect highly variable surface conditions. Exposed crust, 15 to 30 cm of wind-affected snow, or large sastrugi. (See photo below) There is significantly more snow as you travel north of Hazelton.

This sits over a variety of surfaces including facets over a crust, old hard wind slabs, or surface hoar. The surface hoar is most likely to be found in sheltered areas at treeline and below.

Another layer of weak, faceted crystals and a crust may be found buried 30 to 60 cm deep, seen in the snow profile photo below.

The lower snowpack is generally well-bonded and strong.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 6 cm of snow expected, with higher amounts being in the north half of the forecast area. Light to moderate southwest ridgetop wind, with isolated areas of strong wind. Treeline temperature around -10 °C. Up to 5 °C colder in the north end of the forecast area.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow expected. Light to moderate south or southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -5 °C. Up to 10 °C colder in the north end of the forecast area.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow expected, possibly 10 to 20 cm in areas around Stewart. Strong south ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -2 °C. Up to 5 °C colder in the north half of the forecast area.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 1 to 4 cm of snow expected. Light northwest ridgetop wind, southwest in the north half of the forecast area. Treeline temperature around -5 °C. Up to 5 °C colder in the north half of the forecast area.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Start with simple terrain and gather information before thinking about more committing features.
  • Carefully evaluate bigger terrain features on an individual basis before committing to them.

Problems

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.

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.