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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2023–Mar 9th, 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 possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Jordan, North Selkirk, Shuswap, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold, Kokanee, North Okanagan, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Limit your exposure on solar slopes during the warmest part of the day.

Triggering large slab avalanches remains possible in steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas.

Sheltered and shaded terrain will offer the best and safest riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Over the last couple of days, the sun has started to play a role in triggering natural avalanches. Wind slabs found on southwest to southeast aspects were released and reached up to size 2.5. Most of these were in the alpine and some at treeline.

In the southern part of our region, a wind slab was triggered by a skier accidentally. This triggered the deep persistent slab and created a size 2 avalanche. This was on a west aspect and in the alpine and where it was triggered was on a feature where the snowpack went from thick to thin. Another persistent slab avalanche was reported from the northern part of our region. It released naturally in the alpine and the layer that it failed on was 200 cm down in the snowpack.

Read more about managing the deep persistent slab problem in our latest Forecaster Blog.

Snowpack Summary

In the alpine and at treeline wind slabs may be found on all aspects due to variable winds. These wind slabs are made of the 20 to 60 cm storm snow that arrived last week. In areas not affected by the wind, this recent snow overlies a weak layer of faceted snow and a sun crust on sun-affected slopes.

This time of year the sun can really affect the snowpack. A sun crust should be expected on solar aspects. Moist snow could be found on the surface at lower elevations and during the heat of the day as well as on solar aspects.

The mid-snowpack is generally strong but the lower snowpack is a different story. The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. They are showing signs of rounding but there is still a considerable step in resistance between them and the overlying snow. These facets are most pronounced in shallow rocky areas.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear, trace accumulation, winds easterly 20 km/h, treeline temperatures around -10 °C.

Thursday

Sunny with late-day clouds, no accumulation, winds easterly 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperatures -8 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy, 5 to 8 cm focused mostly in the south, winds southerly 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -12 to -8 °C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud, 5 to 10 cm accumulation mostly arriving in the early morning hours, winds southerly 20 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures around -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.