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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 28th, 2025–Jan 29th, 2025

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

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

Stay cautious around cornices and sunny slopes during peak warmth.

Riding will be best when the crust breaks down with warming or on dry snow in shady alpine areas.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, pinwheeling was observed on steep, sun-exposed slopes, and we suspect small loose wet avalanches likely occurred in these areas as well.

If you are headed into the backcountry please consider submitting a MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

Strong sunshine and warm temperatures have formed a crust on most surfaces, except on north-facing alpine slopes where the snow may remain loose and dry. With daytime warming, the crust will likely soften and melt, improving riding conditions that have been reported as challenging in some areas. However, loose wet avalanches may also become possible during this time. The mid and lower snowpack is dense, well-settled, and currently shows nothing concerning.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Clear skies. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around 5 °C. Freezing level 3000 m.

Wednesday

Sunny with afternoon cloud. 40 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around 1 °C. Freezing level starts at 2500 m and drops over the day.

Thursday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -2 °C. Freeing levels remain around 500 - 700 m.

Friday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow / moderate to heavy rain. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -1 °C. Freezing levels 700 - 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches.
  • Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
  • Travel early on sun-exposed slopes before cornices weaken with daytime warming.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.