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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 18th, 2023–Dec 19th, 2023

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

Regions

Garibaldi, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Assess conditions as you move through terrain

Dial back terrain choice if you observe cracking and natural avalanches

Their is uncertainty in the potential snowline and how snow will bond

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

We expect that avalanche activity will increase through the day on Tuesday.

Please share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

New snow will likely form storm slab at treeline and above. Below this elevation new precipitation will likely fall as rain, keeping the surface moist. There is some uncertainty in how this new snow will bond to the surface it is falling on.

The mid pack contains a few crusts that may have surface hoar above them.

The snowpack is still shallow for this time of year with the average depth at treeline around 125 cm.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Cloudy with 15 to 20 cm of new snow expected at treeline and above, southeast alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 2100 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of new snow expected at treeline and above, southeast alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 2300 m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of mixed precipitation expected, south alpine wind 10 to 30 km/h, freezing level around 2000 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of new snow expected, southwest alpine wind 25 to 50 km/h, freezing level around 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.