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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 24th, 2023–Feb 25th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

South Coast, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Have a cautious mindset heading into this weekend. New snow is expected to bond poorly to an atypically weak surface formed by recent cold temperatures.

As new snow and wind arrive on Saturday afternoon, fresh reactive wind slabs may form in exposed areas.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, a size 1 skier-triggered wind slab occurred on a south aspect in the alpine on Pump Peak. This avalanche slid on a crust and was likely a result of recent northerly outflow winds.

Looking forward to Saturday, snowfall and increasing southwesterly winds may form small but reactive wind slabs by the end of the day. Riders should be aware that stiffer and less reactive slabs may linger in lee and cross-loaded areas from previous strong northerly outflow winds.

Snowpack Summary

New snow at upper elevations from early in the week has accumulated over a variety of old surfaces including wind slabs in the alpine and a breakable freezing rain crust between 1100 m and 1600 m. In sheltered areas, surface faceting due to cold temperatures and/or soft surface snow remains.

The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled, strong, and consolidated.

Snowpack depths are reaching 250 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday night

A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures around -9 °C. Ridge wind light to 15 km/h from the northwest. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Saturday

Cloudy with snowfall intensifying in the evening, 5 cm accumulation by end of day. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -5 °C. Ridge wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 50 km/h. Freezing level 300 meters.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud with flurries, up to 10 cm accumulation. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -3 °C. Ridge wind southwest 20 km/h to 45 km/h, easing in the afternoon. Freezing level 700 meters.

Monday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -2 °C. Ridge wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 50 km/h. Freezing level 900 meters.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • A crust on the surface will help bind the snow together, but may make for tough travel conditions.

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.