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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 28th, 2024–Dec 29th, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast, Powell River, North Shore, Sasquatch, Sasquatch, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron, Harrison-Fraser.

Wind slabs will be reactive to human triggering at upper elevations.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Friday, riders were able to trigger storm slabs up to size 1.5 on steep features.

Looking ahead, we expect rider-triggered avalanches to be possible, especially in areas with reactive wind slab deposits.

Thank you for your continued posting to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

20 to 30 cm of storm snow that came with moderate to strong south winds is rapidly settling at upper elevations. Expect windward slopes to be scoured. Lower elevations have received rain.

This snow overlies a thin, breakable rain crust. Below, another 30 to 50 cm of previous snow, also well-settled and reportedly well-bonded to the old snow surface exists. The lower pack is also well-settled melt forms or moist snow.

Snow depth is between 125 cm and 250 cm at treeline.

At lower elevations, expect early-season hazards and a thin, rain-saturated snowpack, with a crust or moist snow at the surface.

Check out the North Shore snow conditions video here.

Check out this MIN for conditions in Tetrahedron.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

MondayCloudy with 5 to 10 cm. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

TuesdayCloudy with trace precipitation. 20 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

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.
  • Choose low-angled, sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.

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.