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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 17th, 2023–Dec 18th, 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, 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

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

745 Update: Investigate slopes at and above treeline for buried surface hoar before committing

Few observations in this region. We are unsure how this layer will react to warm weather

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been reported in the region. The buried surface hoar layers show continued reactivity in snowpack testing.

If you're heading out in the backcountry, please consider sharing any observations on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Warm temperatures and sun may moisten the surface snow and break down crusts likely formed overnight. A widespread crust is buried around 10-20 cm deep, under wind affected snow.

At treeline and above, two layers of concern exist, buried around 30 and 50 cm deep. Both layers consist of a crust that tapers at higher elevations covered by a layer of fragile surface hoar in sheltered areas. No recent avalanche activity has been reported on these layers but they continue to be reactive in snowpack tests. These layers may become reactive to human triggers during the warming.

The snowpack remains shallow for the time of year. Snowpack depths at treeline range from 80 to 120 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Partially clear with trace amounts of new snow possible, south alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, above freezing layer above 1600 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with no new snow expected, south alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 2500 m.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of mixed precipitation expected, southeast alpine wind 10 to 30 km/h, freezing level around 2200 m.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of mixed precipitation expected, south alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, freezing level around 2100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.

Problems

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.

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.

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.