Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Light snowfall with 5-10cm of accumulation, freezing levels dropping to valley bottoms and moderate westerly winds. Wednesday: Mostly clear and dry with freezing levels in valley bottoms and light southeasterly winds. Thursday: Increasing cloud with flurries possible late in the day. Freezing levels remaining in valley bottoms.
Avalanche Summary
Recent avalanches have been limited to easy to trigger, but small sluffs.
Snowpack Summary
5-10cm of recent snow in the Duffy Lake area, and 10-20cm in Coquihalla Pass, overlies a variety of surfaces including a 1cm melt-freeze crust below approximately 1850m, and well settled old storm snow in sheltered sites or wind crust in exposed areas above 1850m. Buried surface hoar persists down 15-20cm and recently gave easy shears in the Duffy Lake area. It is widespread and up to 25mm near valley bottom, becoming less prevalent and smaller with elevation and disappearing completely as you approach treeline. Locally deep and weak wind slabs are lurking and cornices are sensitive.
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.