Avalanche forecast

South Coast

Feb 17 – 18, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Human-triggerable wind slabs can be found in the region's highest elevations where the hard early February crust is buried by wind-transported snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Northerly outflow wind has formed small wind slabs on some alpine features.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–1.5

    Daytime warming will rob cohesion from surface layers and promote wet loose avalanche conditions in steep, sun-exposed terrain, particularly in the alpine.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been observed in the North Shore mountains.

A small (size 1) wind slab was triggered by a skier near Powell River on Wednesday (see photo).

Snowpack Summary

A surface crust exists to the top of the North Shore mountains, while higher elevations in other parts of the region have heavily wind-affected surfaces.

Conditions remain rugged at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Clear. Southeast or east alpine winds 35-40 km/h. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Saturday

Becoming cloudy in the afternoon. Southeast alpine wind 25-35 km/h. Treeline temperature +3 °C with freezing level around 1800 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with wet flurries bringing up to 5 cm of high elevation snow, light rain below about 1200 m. South alpine winds 30-40 km/h. Treeline temperature reaching 0°C with freezing level climbing to 1400 m.

Monday

Cloudy with isolated alpine flurries, light rain below about 1400 m. East alpine wind 10-20 km/h. Treeline temperature +2 with freezing level reaching 1700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • A crust on the surface will help bind the snow together, but may make for tough travel conditions.

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