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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 12th, 2023–Apr 13th, 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 possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Continually assess conditions as you move through terrain. Rider triggerable wind slabs will still be found on lee and cross loaded features.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle occurred over the weekend. Storm and wind slabs up to size 3 were observed at treeline and above. Cornice failures initiated large slabs on the slope below. Check out this MCR for a report from the Pemberton Icefield.

On Monday, explosive control in the Whistler area produced numerous large (size 2-3) storm and wind slabs, predominantly from wind-loaded alpine terrain. Check out Wayne Flann's blog for photos of these avalanches.

Explosive control on Tuesday produced several cornice falls which did not pull slabs on the slopes below.

Snowpack Summary

Another 10 cm of new snow adds to the 50 to 80 cm of previous storm snow which overlies facets on northerly aspects. On southerly aspects this snow overlies a sun crust where it hasn’t been blown away by previous strong to extreme southerly winds. A crust can be found near the surface below treeline.

The remainder of the snowpack is well settled.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear with no new snow expected. Light westerly winds and a low of -6°C at 1800 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with the possibility of flurries bringing up to 5 cm of new snow. Light southwest winds and a high of -4°C at 1800 m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud with the possibility of light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow in the morning. Light southerly winds and freezing levels rising to 1700 m.

Saturday

Stormy with up to 15 cm of new snow expected. Moderate to strong southerly winds and a high of -3°C at 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
  • Minimize your exposure time below cornices.

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.