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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 12th, 2024–Apr 13th, 2024

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Minimize your exposure to steep, south facing slopes.

Rising temperatures will increase the potential for wet avalanches. Hazard is expected to reach considerable on sun affected slopes.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, reactivity to human triggers was reported near ridgelines within the new storm snow. Earlier in the weak cornice falls triggered slabs on the slopes below, on north facing alpine slopes.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of settling storm snow sits over old snow surfaces, and a crust on sun affected slopes. On north facing slopes near ridgelines, deeper deposits of snow can be found - while south facing slopes may hold hard, wind pressed surfaces or a crust.

Below treeline elevations have minimal snow cover, if any at all. Expect challenging travel conditions with hazards like rocks, stumps and open creeks. Check out this MIN from Mt Price for a great summary of snow conditions.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly clear skies. 10-20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level rises to 2000 m overnight.

Saturday

Mostly sunny. 10-20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature reaches a high of +5 °C. Freezing level rises to 2500 m.

Sunday

Mostly sunny. 20-40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level drops back to 2000 m over the day.

Monday

Increasing cloud with 30-50 km/h westerly winds. Freezing level drops to 1000 m. Treeline temperatures of -3 °C

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Don't be too cavalier with decision making, storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
  • Caution around slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.

Problems

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.

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.