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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 10th, 2019–Feb 11th, 2019

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

Regions

North Columbia.

Dangerous avalanche conditions persist in the North Columbia. This continues to be the most active region in British Columbia for persistent slab avalanches. Seek out simple terrain and low consequence slopes.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Sunday night: Cloudy with clear periods. Light southwest winds. Monday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -19.Tuesday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Light southeast winds, shifting to southwest in the alpine. Alpine high temperatures around -15.Wednesday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Light northeast winds. Alpine high temperatures around -11.

Avalanche Summary

A snowmobiler was fatally involved in a large (size 2) slab avalanche on Saturday in the Oventop Creek area in the Bone Creek drainage. The avalanche was triggered by the rider at 2100 metres on a south aspect. The crown fracture was 15-100 cm deep, suggesting wind loading was a factor in the incident. The avalanche measured 40 metres wide and ran 300 metres.On Friday a natural size 2 wind slab avalanche was observed on an east facing aspect near 3000 m. Strong to extreme wind Friday night into Saturday may have initiated a natural wind slab avalanche cycle. The North Columbias are the hotspot for human triggered persistent slab avalanches as a weak layer that was buried in mid January continues to be sensitive to human triggers. This layer is touchy enough for avalanches to be triggered remotely (from a distance). Skier and snowmobile triggered avalanches from size 1.5-2.5 have been reported on all aspects at and below treeline almost every day for the last two weeks. The bulk of this activity is occurring below 1900 m. This MIN report from Monday does a great job of illustrating the sensitivity of this weak layer.

Snowpack Summary

30-80 cm of recent new snow sits on surface hoar (feathery crystals), facets (sugary snow), wind slabs and a crust on sun-exposed slopes. In many areas, recent winds have redistributed the new snow, forming wind slabs on all aspects due to shifting wind directions.The most notable feature in the snowpack at this time is a persistent weak layer that was buried in mid January, which is now buried 50-100 cm. This layer consists primarily of surface hoar, however there is also a crust associated with it on sun-exposed slopes. This layer is the most prominent at treeline and below, and continues to produce large avalanches.

Problems

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.

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.