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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 15th, 2023–Jan 16th, 2023

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

Microwave-Sinclair, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Start on small features and gain confidence before moving into bigger terrain. The recent snow is mostly loose, but if a slab is present, it could easily avalanche on a layer of weak, feathery, surface hoar crystals.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported before 4pm on Sunday.

On Saturday, several size 2 avalanches were reported at Hankin, Ashman, and in the Babines. These avalanches were easily triggered by the weight of a rider, and they propagated across whole terrain features. They were sliding on a layer of weak, feathery surface hoar crystals, 20cm below the snow surface.

Snowpack Summary

20-30 cm of generally soft snow sits above a layer of surface hoar crystals in sheltered areas. If wind or warmish temperatures have formed any of this snow into a slab, expect it to avalanche under the weight of a rider. See the avalanche summary for recent reports of avalanches on this layer.

A weak layer of facets that formed during the arctic outbreak in December is buried 30 to 60 cm deep. Observations suggest it is fairly widespread, but rounding and gaining strength, and is not reactive to triggering under the current conditions.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy. 1-2 cm of snow expected. Light southwest wind. Alpine temperature around -5°C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light west wind. Alpine temperature around -5°C.

Tuesday

Possible clear periods overnight. Mostly cloudy through the day. 1-2 cm of snow expected. Moderate to strong south and southwest wind. Alpine temperature around -7°C.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy, clearing by the afternoon. Possible trace of snow expected. Moderate southwest wind. Freezing level rising to around 750m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
  • When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.