Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Brandywine, Homathko, Sea To Sky, Spearhead.
Dial back into sheltered, low-consequence terrain. Friday night's new snow and wind will form fresh, reactive storm slabs that may be most sensitive in wind-loaded areas.
If you see greater than 30 cm of new snow, treat the avalanche danger as HIGH and avoid avalanche terrain.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
In the past week, multiple cornice failures and wind slab avalanches were reported. Several cornice failures triggered size 2-3 wind slabs in the alpine. Numerous size 1-2 wind slabs occurred on north and west aspects. Some occurred naturally or were remotely triggered by snowcats, while five were accidentally triggered by riders. Two riders were carried but were unharmed and no gear was lost.
Conditions will change into the weekend as a cooler airmass brings 15-30 cm of new snow and southwest wind. Fresh, reactive storm slabs are expected to build on Friday night, with deeper and more reactive deposits in wind-loaded terrain.
Snowpack Summary
15 to 30 cm of new snow will have accumulated by Saturday morning, with deeper deposits in wind-loaded terrain. This new snow buries a variety of surfaces that include a heavily wind-affected alpine and treeline and a crust at lower elevations and solar aspects.
The middle of the snowpack is strong and bonded. At the bottom of the snowpack, a layer of weak facets remains present and continues to be monitored for signs of reactivity.
Weather Summary
Friday night
Cloudy with snowfall, 10 to 20 cm of accumulation. Alpine temperatures drop to a low of -5 °C. Ridge wind southwest 25 to 60 km/h. Freezing level drops to 500 metres.
Saturday
Mainly cloudy with convective flurries, 5 to 15 cm of accumulation. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -3 °C. Ridge wind southwest 20 to 50 km/h. Freezing level rises to 900 metres.
Sunday
Cloudy with sunny periods and flurries, 5 to 10 cm of accumulation. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -8 °C. Ridge wind light from the southwest. Freezing level rises to 800 metres.
Monday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Alpine temperatures reach a high of -7 °C. Ridge wind west 10-30 km/h. Freezing level rises to 900 metres.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Good day to make conservative terrain choices.
- Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
- Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
- Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 30 cm of new snow.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Friday night's 15-30 cm of new snow and southerly wind will build fresh, reactive storm slabs with deeper deposits in wind-loaded terrain.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5