Avalanche forecast

Sea To Sky

Dec 23 – 24, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–4
    Winds have shifted available snow into slabs behind ridges and ribs. These could be triggered by the weight of a person or snowmobile.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    1–4
    The volume of loose dry snow could knock you over or carry you into a terrain trap. Be cautious in any steep terrain.

Confidence

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Weather Forecast

Monday: Light SE winds. Alpine temperatures around -8. No precipitation.Tuesday: Light to moderate SE winds. Alpine temperature around -7. If all you want for Christmas is some more snow, you might get a little bit, starting late in the day.Wednesday: Light S winds. Alpine temperature around -6. Light snow.

Avalanche Summary

Explosive and ski testing on Sunday produced widespread avalanching to size 1.5 in the alpine and at treeline. A natural avalanche was reported on the north face of the Lions on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Over a metre of snow has fallen this week with strong SE winds, which has created wind slabs in alpine and open treeline terrain. New cornices exist. In sheltered areas below treeline, very deep loose snow has built up. Three surface hoar layers in the upper/mid snowpack appear to be gaining strength. In general, the mid-pack is strong.Near the base of the snowpack, a crust/facet layer has become unlikely to be triggered. However, professionals are still mindful of thin snowpack trigger areas or large loads which could wake it up again, leading to a very large avalanche.

Regions covered