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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2024–Mar 30th, 2024

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus.

Watch for changing conditions as you shift aspect and elevation.

Reactivity remains in wind affected areas, while sunshine may produce wet avalanche activity on south facing slopes.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday slabs up to size 2 were produced within the storm snow from explosive control work. Riders produced size 1-1.5 slabs.

Reactivity is expected to linger in wind affected features moving forward and on south facing slopes in areas that see strong sunshine.

Snowpack Summary

15-25 cm of recent snow has fallen above a widespread crust present below 2000 m. At treeline and above, winds have created deeper deposits on north and east facing slopes. Surface snow may become moist on steep sun affected slopes.

The facet/crust layer that produced large avalanches during early March is buried 150-250 cm deep, and is now considered unreactive.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly clear skies with no snow expected. 10 km/h northerly ridgetop wind. Freezing levels remain around 1500 m near Squamish and other coastal areas, and may drop to 800 m near Whistler.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud. 15-30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Sunday

Mostly sunny. 40-60 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level rises to 3000 m by afternoon, raising treeline temperatures to +10 °C.

Monday

Freezing levels remain around 3000 m overnight and throughout Monday. 40-60 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures to +10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.