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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 10th, 2023–Mar 11th, 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

Northwest Inland, Kispiox, Microwave-Sinclair, Ningunsaw, Ningunsaw, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Head to lower elevation, sheltered terrain to find the best conditions and avoid avalanche problems.

Watch for wind affected snow at higher elevations, wind slabs remain possible to trigger. Avoid thin and rocky start zones where buried weak layers are shallow.

Keep in mind short periods of sun may increase reactivity on south facing slopes.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche observations have been limited to solar-triggered loose avalanaches of steep south aspects up to size 1.5 on Wednesday.

Last week the region saw numerous natural wind slab and cornice-triggered avalanches up to size 2.

On Tuesday our field team observed a size 3 deep persistent slab avalanche near Hankin that they estimated to be around a week old. The slab propagated across the full steep, rocky feature. This has been the latest of a pattern of intermittent large deep persistent slab activity in the alpine. Observations from late February include a cornice-triggered size 2.5 at Hudson Bay and several explosive controlled size 2-3 near Ningunsaw.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of recent wind affected snow sits over previously hard, wind affected surfaces in the alpine. Sun crust or moist snow can be found on steep solar aspects.

Several crusts, layers of facets, or surface hoar can be found in the top 150 cm of the snowpack, but have not shown any significant avalanche activity or snowpack test results recently.

The lower snowpack consists of weak, basal facets which may become active with any rapid change in the snowpack, such as heavy loading or dramatic warming.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with moderate southeasterly wind. Flurries possible. Freezing levels below valley bottom.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries and a chance of sunny breaks. Moderate southeasterly wind. Alpine high -14 ˚C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Moderate southeasterly wind. Alpine high -12 ˚C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Light southeasterly wind. Alpine high -10 ˚C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Conditions may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.