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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2024–Mar 9th, 2024

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Dangerous conditions persist. Manage the uncertainty around buried weak layers by sticking to low-angle terrain, avoiding overhead hazard, and communicating with groups around you.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday a skier trigger avalanche was reported on a north east treeline terrain feature, this avalanche failed on the persistent slab and was nearly 1 meter in depth.

Wednesday a naturally triggered size 1.5 persistent slab avalanche was observed in the alpine on a west aspect. Another persistent slab, size 1.5, was skier-triggered in the Hurley area on Tuesday. It was 80 cm deep and occurred on a northeast-facing roll at treeline.

Snowpack Summary

Storm snowfall is forecast for amounts of up to 20 cm and will overlie a variety of surfaces including surface hoar. Expect strong southwest winds to strip snow from ridgelines and exposed features and deposit new snow into deep pockets in lee aspect terrain. Below this, 50-100 cm of old storm snow continues to settle over a facet/surface hoar/crust layer.

In the mid snowpack, an older problematic combination layer of faceted snow over a thick crust is estimated at 80-140 cm deep. This layer is the primary avalanche concern in the region, continuing to show sensitivity to human triggers and produce concerning snowpack test results. The lower snowpack is well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Cloudy with heavy snowfall, 10-25 cm. 60-90 km/h southwest alpine winds. Treeline temperature -2 °C with freezing level to 1200 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with heavy snowfall 10-25 cm. 50-70 km/h southwest alpine winds. Treeline temperature -1 °C with freezing levels rising to 1600 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 1-5 cm of new snow,. 30-50 km/h south alpine winds, easing. Treeline temperature -3 with freezing level falling from 1600 to 1400 m.

Monday

Cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 1-5 cm of new snow,. 30-50 km/h south alpine winds, easing. Treeline temperature -3 with freezing level falling from 1600 to 800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

Problems

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.

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.