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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 12th, 2024–Mar 13th, 2024

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 possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

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

Persistent slabs remain prime for human-triggered avalanches, especially at treeline.

Choose low-consequence terrain and avoid shallow areas where triggering is more likely.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Large avalanches continue to surprise skiers across the region. On Monday, large slabs (up to size 2) were remotely triggered from a distance, indicating a touchy snowpack over a persistent weak layer. Many groups recently traveling in the backcountry have also reported signs of instability like whumpfing and shooting cracks.

For more information, click on the photos below.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find up to 25 cm of settled snow in wind-sheltered and shady areas. This snow covers wind-affected surfaces or a crust on sun-exposed slopes and at lower elevations. A layer of weak, faceted crystals over a crust, or surface hoar, is the primary layer of concern, buried around 40 to 80 cm.

A sun crust may have formed on the surface on steep south and west-facing slopes, and snow will be heavier and possibly moist or crusty at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 2 cm of new snow expected. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -4 °C. Freezing level returning to valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 2 cm of new snow expected. 50 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1200 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of new snow expected. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around +2 °C. Freezing level around 1800 m.

Friday

Cloudy with no precipitation, 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around +5 °C. Freezing level rising to 2200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
  • Approach steep open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, buried surface hoar may exist.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

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.