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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 6th, 2023–Mar 7th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Ningunsaw.

Windslabs may be found on a variety of aspects due to recently shifting wind direction. The air is cold but the March sun can be strong so avoid exposure to cornices and watch for signs of warming on steep south aspects.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Sunday or Monday.

On Saturday, there were a few reports of storm slab avalanches, a size 2.5 triggered by a cornice fall north of Stewart and a size 1.5 accidentally triggered by a skier north of Terrace.

Snowpack Summary

Surface conditions are a mix of very wind affected snow in exposed terrain features, old wind slabs on lee aspects, sun crusts on steep solar aspects, and preserved softer snow in sheltered areas making for nice riding.

A layer of small surface hoar or facets is now buried over 80 cm deep. A facet/crust layer formed in late January exists around 150 cm deep. Large avalanches were suspected to have run on this layer in mid February. Triggering these deeper layers may still be possible in places where the snowpack is shallow.

The lower snowpack is generally well consolidated but as you move further inland where the snowpack is thinner, basal instabilities linger.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Some thin cloud. Wind from the north at 10 km/h. Temperature -18˚C.

Tuesday

Mostly clear and cold. Wind from the north at 10 km/h. Temperature -15˚C

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Up to 4 cm of new snow. Wind from the northeast at 10 km/h. Warming to -5˚C in the afternoon.

Thursday

Clear and cold overnight with temperatures dropping to -15˚C and rising to -5˚C in the afternoon. Wind from the north at 10 km/h.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

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.