Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Feb 3 – 4, 2017Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

The avalanche danger may be higher in the north of the region where very large, full depth avalanches remain a concern

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Recent strong wind has accumulated wind slabs in alpine and tree line lees. Surface avalanches may also step down to deeper, more destructive layers.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3
    In the mountains closer to Terrace, remain cautious in sheltered treeline terrain where buried surface hoar may be preserved. In the north of the region, full depth avalanches continue to fail on weak layers at the base of the snowpack.

Confidence

High - The weather pattern is stable

Weather Forecast

Saturday: Sunny / Moderate east wind / Alpine temperature -16Sunday: Sunny / Moderate northeast wind / Alpine temperature -17Monday:  Mix of sun and cloud / Light east wind / Alpine temperature -16More details can be found on the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Avalanche Summary

There are no recent reports of natural avalanche activity from the past few days in the southern and middle portions of the region. However, in the northern most parts of the region near Bell2 or Ningunsaw there are still reports of skier triggered avalanches stepping down to basal facets in the alpine and tree line.

Snowpack Summary

The snow from last week has been long redistributed by continuous strong winds to create widespread wind effect at upper elevations. At lower elevations, precipitation fell as rain and a surface (or near-surface) crust may now be found below about 1000m. Below the recent storm snow you'll likely find a couple of buried surface hoar layers from January 18th and January 23rd. These surface hoar layers continue to produce easy to hard sudden shears in snowpack tests, and should be approached with caution, especially in sheltered tree line terrain. The snowpack below this is generally strong and well settled. The exceptions are areas around Bear Pass and Ningunsaw where basal facets remain an ongoing concern.

Regions covered