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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 15th, 2023–Feb 16th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

6:45 AM Update: There may be a poor bond between new wind slabs and the underlying crust. Travel conservatively if you find more than 20 cm of new snow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days. We suspect rider triggerable wind slabs will be found on Thursday.

Snowpack Summary

New snow with southwest wind is falling onto a hard melt-freeze crust at all elevations. Wind slabs are likely forming in lee terrain features at higher elevations. This new snow may take time to bond to the crust.

The remainder of the snowpack is consolidated and strong.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with up to 10cm of new snow expected. Strong westerly wind and a low of -5 at 1500m.

Thursday

Stormy with up to 15cm of new snow. Light to moderate southerly winds and a high of -4 at 1500m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud with the possibility of light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Light to moderate northwest winds and a high of -4 at 1500m.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 5cm of new snow expected. Light westerly winds and a high of -4 at 1500m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.

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.