Regions
South Coast Inland.
Expect the avalanche danger to rise over the coming days as the temperature rises, snowfall amounts accumulate and the wind picks up
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Sunday
Weather Forecast
Sunday: Snow flurries, accumulations 5-10cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -4Monday: Snow, accumulations 20-30cm / Moderate to strong southwest wind / Alpine temperature -3Tuesday: Cloudy with flurries, accumulations 5-10cm / Moderate to strong wind / Alpine temperature of -3
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported, but expect the recent storm snow to be reactive to light triggers in areas where it has settled into a cohesive slab, such as lee slopes near ridgecrests and terrain breaks and sun-exposed slopes.
Snowpack Summary
New snow overlies the previous variable snow surface from last week, which includes hard wind pressed or scoured areas, old wind slabs, weak faceted snow, or surface hoar. New wind slabs that have formed in response to southwest winds, or subsequent northerly winds, are sensitive to light triggers with recent reports of easy hand shears and cracking around skis. In the Duffey Lake area, recent snowpack tests gave moderate sudden planar results down 36 cm on buried surface hoar. Weaknesses have also been found within the recent storm snow with reports of moderate snowpack test results on preserved stellars down 48cm in the Coquihalla Pass area. The widespread mid-November crust typically down around a metre. Recent snowpack tests have shown the crust to be unreactive, but it could become a problem in shallow alpine start zones.
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.