Regions
South Coast Inland.
Wind slabs are lingering at upper elevations. Analyze each slope for signs of wind loading and likely trigger points as you travel.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods, light southeast winds, alpine temperatures around -10.SUNDAY: Flurries starting in the afternoon, moderate southeast winds, alpine temperatures around -6MONDAY: Flurries with 5-15 cm of new snow, light west winds, alpine temperatures around -8.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on Thursday. Wind slabs were reactive in the Duffey Lake area earlier in the week, including an avalanche involvement reported on the MIN and an explosive triggered wind slab. Be on the lookout for wind loaded pockets where reactive wind slabs may still be lingering.
Snowpack Summary
Recent cold temperatures and strong winds have left our snow surface a mix of soft wind slabs, hard wind slabs, sastrugi, faceted snow, and even some surface hoar. Wind slabs are the primary weakness of concern in our current snowpack. Last week's winds were primarily from the north, which reverse loaded many terrain features and formed stubborn wind slabs on southerly slopes in wind-exposed areas. For low snow areas such as the Chilcotins, two other layers of concern exist. One is a weak layer of snow from mid-December buried approximately 50 cm deep and other is an old rain crust from November buried 90-120 cm deep. Snowpack tests indicate these layers may be possible to trigger in shallow snowpack areas. Elsewhere, these layers are typically much deeper and are considered to be stable.
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.