Avalanche forecast

South Coast

Jan 19 – 20, 2015Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Conditions are improving but continue to exercise caution in wind affected terrain and during periods of intense sunshine. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Recent winds have built wind slabs on lee slopes. These may be possible to trigger with the weight of a person in steep unsupported terrain. 

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Expect loose wet slides on steep sun-exposed slopes if the sun is out. Move to cooler shady slopes if the snow surface is getting moist or wet. 

Confidence

Fair

Weather Forecast

Synopsis: A building ridge of high pressure should give the South Coast dry conditions with a mix of sun and cloud for the next few days. The freezing level is around 1000 m on Tuesday but could bump up to 1800-2000 m on Wednesday/Thursday. Ridge winds should be light and variable. The next significant weather system might reach our region on Friday bringing moderate snow or rain.

Avalanche Summary

Several size 2 natural wind slabs were observed throughout the region on the weekend. The storm slab was reported to be sensitive to rider triggered at and below treeline in the Northern part of the region on Sunday. Here it was failing on the crust/surface hoar interface down around 35 cm.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall amounts vary from north to south with an average of 25-35 cm of new snow near the Duffey Lake Road and 40-60 cm in the Cascades (Coquihalla and Allison Pass). Strong W-SW winds have formed deep and dense wind slabs in wind-affected terrain. The fresh storm and wind slabs overlie a hard crust and/or surface hoar. Recent snowpack tests show the potential for riders to trigger avalanches at this interface below the storm snow. Deeper snowpack weaknesses are still on our radar, but seem to be dormant for the time being.

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