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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 10th, 2024–Jan 11th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

If the wind picks up on Thursday, treat danger as CONSIDERABLE and expect to find reactive wind slabs.

Cold exposure is a major concern for backcountry travelers (read more in this blog).

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, operators reported numerous natural, human, and explosive-triggered storm slab avalanches, up to size 3 on north and east aspects in the alpine and treeline.

Last Saturday, natural persistent slab avalanches were reported to size 3 in the Whistler backcountry.

Looking forward to Thursday, backcountry travelers should watch for evidence of wind transport and be cautious in wind-loaded areas.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 50 cm of recent storm snow overlies wind-affected surface in exposed areas and in sheltered areas a weak layer of surface hoar.

A melt-freeze crust is found down 60 to 80 cm and becomes thin and variable above 1900 m.

Another crust from early Dec is down 80-150 cm. A few large avalanches observed in the region on January 6 are suspected to have failed on this layer.

Snowpack depths are 120-230 cm around treeline and decrease rapidly below.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries. Northerly winds 30 to 70 km/h. Treeline temperatures drop to -10 C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Northerly winds 20 to 40 km/h. Treeline temperatures drop to -18 C.

Friday

Sunny with no new snow. Northerly winds 20 to 50 km/h. Treeline temperatures drop to -23 C.

Saturday

Sunny with no new snow. Northerly winds 15 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperatures around -20 C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
  • Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.