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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 5th, 2025–Mar 6th, 2025

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

Cariboos, Blue River, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Clemina.

Avoid north-facing alpine and treeline slopes, as this is where triggering persistent weak layers is most likely.

Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Over the weekend, numerous natural and human-triggered avalanches, up to size 3, occurred on all elevations and aspects, many failing on the late January persistent weak layer.

On Saturday, a skier remotely triggered a size 3 persistent. See MIN for photos and details.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 15 cm of new snow sits on a melt-freeze crust that extends to ridge tops on all aspects, except northerly slopes above 1700 m, where surfaces remained dry through the warm-up.

A weak layer formed in February, consisting of facets, surface hoar, or a crust, is found 30 to 60 cm deep. Additional weak layers formed in January are present within the upper 100 cm of snow, including faceted snow, crusts on south-facing slopes, and surface hoar in shaded terrain.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.

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.