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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 9th, 2023–Mar 10th, 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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Cariboos, Blue River, Clearwater, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Clemina, North Monashee, Renshaw, Robson.

Seek out sheltered and shaded terrain to avoid wind slabs and the effects of the sun.

Persistent slab avalanches are mostly likely to be triggered in steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Monday to Thursday saw periods of intense solar input. This caused several cornices to fail. These occurred in the alpine and the impact that some of them had on the slopes below, caused the slope below them to avalanche.

Helibombing on Monday was able to trigger the deep persistent slab, creating avalanches up to size 4. These were in the alpine and the layer that was released was typically 150 cm down.

Over the weekend, a few natural and skier-triggered wind slabs (size 1 to 2) were reported from south, southwest, and east-facing alpine terrain as northerly winds impacted the region. One large (size 2.5) deep persistent slab was triggered by a cornice failure in very steep north-facing alpine terrain.

Snowpack Summary

A sun crust can be found on steep south-facing aspects. Surface hoar growth has been reported in sheltered areas. Shifting winds have redistributed last week's storm snow into wind slabs on a variety of aspects. This storm snow sits over wind-affected surfaces and a thin sun crust on steep south-facing slopes.

The mid-snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. Although this layer is showing signs of rounding, there is a significant difference in resistance between it and the overlying snow. These facets are most pronounced in shallow rocky areas.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mostly clear, no accumulation, winds east southeast 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperatures -8 °C with freezing levels dropping to the valley bottom.

Friday

Mostly sunny with cloudy periods, trace accumulation late in the day, winds east 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures around -9 °C with freezing levels possibly reaching 1000 m.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, 2 cm accumulation, winds southeast 10 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures around -10 °C.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud, 2 cm accumulation, winds south 20 km/h gusting to 45, treeline temperatures -10 to -5 °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.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
  • Avalanche hazard may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.

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.