Regions
South Coast Inland.
Heavy snowfall in the southern part of the region has increased the avalanche danger. Pay close attention to the amount of new snow in your riding area, and be prepared to back off to mellow terrain.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY: Isolated flurries with possible accumulations up to 10 cm in the Coquihalla area and less in other areas, light south winds, alpine temperatures at -10.TUESDAY: Sunny, light north winds, alpine temperatures at -15. WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, light north winds, alpine temperatures at -12.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanche observations have been submitted. Storm slabs may be very touchy in parts of the region that received the heaviest snowfall, such as the Coquihalla. In other parts of the region, storm slabs are most likely on wind loaded terrain features at higher elevations.
Snowpack Summary
On Saturday night, heavy snowfall brought up to 50 cm of new snow in the Coquihalla area, 25 cm around Manning Park, and 10 cm in the Duffey area. This new snow likely formed touchy storm slabs, especially on steep or wind loaded slopes. Below the recent storm snow you may find a layer of buried surface hoar which formed during last week's clear weather. This layer was reported to be well-developed in some parts of the Duffey area, although not much is know about its current size or distribution. Another layer of 3-5 mm surface hoar has been observed 60 cm below the surface in the Pemberton area and has produced easy snowpack test results. A thick crust can be found throughout the region in the mid-pack, down 70-100 cm at treeline elevations or deeper in the alpine. Although snowpack tests have shown the crust to be mainly unreactive, I'd expect increased reactivity with this layer in shallow, wind-affected alpine start zones.
Problems
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.