Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Friday

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Freezing level valley bottom. Alpine high -4. Light northeast wind. THURSDAY: Cloudy with flurries, up to 10 cm. Freezing level 1400 m. Alpine high near -3. Light east-north east winds with moderate gusts.FRIDAY: Snow, accumulating 10-25 cm by days end. Freezing level 1300 m. Alpine high near -3. Light south wind with moderate to strong gusts.SATURDAY: Snow, 15-25 cm. Freezing level 1400 m. Alpine high -4. Moderate southwest wind gusting to extreme.More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

There have been no recent avalanches reported in the region since Monday when explosives triggered cornices in the alpine and one size 2 loose-wet avalanche on a south aspect at 2200 m. Size 1-2 natural loose wet avalanches were reported on Saturday and Sunday.Small cornice falls were observed near the Coquihalla on Saturday, and on Sunday cornices were triggered by explosives near Duffey Lake. In the neighboring Sea to Sky region, several large cornice falls have occurred during the warm spell - beware if you are in cornice country.One very large (size 3) natural storm slab avalanche was observed on Chipmunk Mountain near Pemberton. This avalanche occurred either Friday or Saturday on a north aspect between 1600-1950 m in un-skiable terrain.

Colder overnight temperatures are promoting recovery of the snowpack. Refrozen crusts are found on all aspects below about 1800-2000 m and sunny aspects in the alpine. Cold, dry and wind-affected snow is found on more north-facing and sheltered aspects in the alpine and around treeline; expect to find variable surfaces in areas where a crust has not formed. Surface hoar has begun to form, and is most noticeable on shaded aspects and below tree line. While not a concern yet (and maybe really neat to ski), this potentially weak layer will not bond well with incoming snow.Warmth has promoted settlement of the snowpack and helped bond old wind slabs. A generally well-settled upper snowpack is reported, with supportive crusts that are isolating deeper snowpack weaknesses. Most of our observations come from the Duffey Lake and Coquihalla regions, so if you are venturing further afield, the local snowpack may not be as strong. Please investigate.There remains a small chance of triggering a deeply buried crust/facet layer with a heavy trigger such as a cornice fall, or from a thin spot.