Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 9th, 2025–Feb 10th, 2025

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

Regions

Brandywine, Garibaldi, Spearhead, Tantalus.

Conditions are tricky despite the moderate danger rating and sunny weather.

The best and safest riding will be on slopes with soft snow and no slab properties.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported since Friday when two separate parties accidentally triggered wind slabs near Whistler, and whumpfing was described in this MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

Wind-affected snow and wind slabs formed by recent shifting wind can be found on various aspects at upper elevations. Steep sunny slopes may be moist or have a thin surface crust, shady slopes are growing surface hoar.

35 to 70 cm of old storm snow is slowly settling and has remained dry and powdery in many areas with cold temperatures. This snow is sitting on a weak layer that developed in late January: In most areas, it is a hard slippery crust, however, on shady, upper-elevation slopes, it may rest on faceted grains or surface hoar.

The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and bonded with no other layers of concern.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Clear skies. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Monday

Sunny. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

Sunny. 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to a buried crust.
  • Avoid lee and cross-loaded slopes at alpine and treeline elevations.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.