Avoid lingering in runout zones and watch for shallow snowpack areas where triggering a large persistent slab avalanche remains possible.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
We're into a stable and benign weather pattern with cooling temperatures and isolated flurries.FRIDAY: A mix of sun and cloud and isolated flurries, light north winds, alpine temperatures around -14 C.SATURDAY: Cloudy with light flurries in the afternoon (local accumulations up to 5 cm), light west winds, alpine temperatures around -12 C.SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light north winds, alpine temperatures around -16 C.
Avalanche Summary
Few avalanches have been reported the past few days. On Wednesday, a 35 cm deep size 1 slab was triggered by a skier on a northeast aspect and a size 2 slab was triggered by a cornice fall. Last weekend, several larger avalanches were reported, including a remotely triggered size 3 avalanche on a deep persistent weak layer near Valemount.
See here for a list of recent near misses in the Cariboos and North Rockies.With cooling temperatures and benign weather, watch for isolated wind slabs at higher elevations and stay aware of the low probability - high consequence scenario of triggering a large persistent slab avalanche.
Snowpack Summary
Light flurries over the past few days have delivered 15-30 cm of low density snow. Expect to find isolated pockets with thicker wind deposits at higher elevations as well as sun crusts forming on steep south slopes. A supportive crust can be found at lower elevations (up to about 1700 m). Settling snow (40-60 cm) from last week is still bonding slowly to the early February surface hoar and facet interface. The persistent weakness from mid-January is now down about a metre and the weak facets buried in mid-December are down about 1.5 metres. These deep persistent weaknesses still have the potential to wake up and become reactive with human triggers.
shorton,
Avalanche Canada
