Avalanche forecast

Sea To Sky

Dec 25 – 26, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–4
    Deep wind slabs may not be obvious now that they are buried under new snow. Be alert for changes in snow resistance and back off if you encounter any shooting cracks or whumphs.

Confidence

Fair

Weather Forecast

Wednesday: Light SW winds. Alpine temp -8. A few cm snow.Thursday/Friday: Light SW winds. Alpine temp -7. No precipitation on Thurs; light snow possible on Friday.

Avalanche Summary

A natural cycle to size 2.5 was reported over the past few days. Wind slabs have also been triggered by explosives and skiers. Natural avalanche activity is likely to decrease over the next few days, but human-triggering remains possible.

Snowpack Summary

Wind slabs which formed during last week’s strong winds are now buried by 10-30 cm of new snow and may be found in alpine and open treeline terrain. New cornices exist. In sheltered areas below treeline, loose snow is slowly becoming more consolidated. Three surface hoar layers in the upper/mid snowpack appear to be gaining strength. In general, the mid-pack is strong.Near the base of the snowpack, a crust/facet layer has become unlikely to be triggered. However, professionals are still mindful of thin snowpack trigger areas or large loads which could wake it up again, leading to a very large avalanche.

Regions covered