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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 3rd, 2025–Jan 4th, 2025

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.

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

Wind slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase as a storm ramps up Saturday afternoon.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Our field team reported small skier-triggered wind slabs in steep start zones in the Sky Pilot area on Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

New snow falls over soft, and possibly faceted surfaces. As wind picks up through the day Saturday, new and older snow will likely be redistributed at upper elevations.

A rain crust buried 30 to 50 cm deep appears to be bonding well. The mid and lower snowpack is well consolidated and bonded.

Snow depth varies from 130 to 250 cm at treeline, tapering quicly with elevation.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. South ridgetop wind increasing 20 to 50 km/h. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Sunday

20 to 40 cm of snow overnight then clearing. Northwest ridgetop wind easing 40 to 15 km/h. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Monday

Sunny. 10 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of slab formation throughout the day.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
  • The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.

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.