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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 26th, 2025–Feb 27th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

New snow, wind and warming will likely stiffen the upper snowpack creating reactive wind and persistent slabs.

A conservative approach to terrain is critical.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, a rider triggered wind slab (size 2) was reported on the MIN. This occurred at treeline on a southeast aspect.

Snowpack Summary

Recent strong southerly winds and 5 to 15 cm of new snow have formed fresh wind slabs on leeward slopes.

40 to 60 cm of snow now sits above a variety of old snow surfaces including soft, faceted snow in sheltered terrain and wind-affected snow in exposed terrain. This layer is showing reactivity in recent snowpack testing.

A facet/crust layer from early December is buried approximately 70 to 110 cm deep. This layer is generally not a concern in this region at this time.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

New snow 5 to 15 cm. 45 gusting to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud with snow 2 to 5 cm. 10 to 45 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Friday

Cloudy with snow 3 to 5 cm. 10 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4°C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 10 km west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Conservative terrain selection is critical; choose gentle, low consequence lines.

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.

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.