Avalanche forecast

Sea To Sky

Feb 25 – 26, 2012Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    1–5
    Strong winds and new snow have created wind slabs ripe for human triggering. Shifting winds may exacerbate this problem by reverse loading South and Southeast facing slopes.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–5
    Storm slabs are particulary reactive where they exist in combination with buried crusts, facetted snow, and/ or in sheltered areas where buried surface hoar lingers.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Sunday: Expect unsettled conditions, with occasional flurries, gusty northerly winds and temperatures reaching -5. Monday & Tuesday: Predominantly dry with a mix of sun and cloud. Winds turn from northerly to southerly with temps should reach -8 each afternoon.

Avalanche Summary

Many avalanches up to size 2.0 occurred in the last 24hrs, predominantly in wind loaded features. These include both natural and human triggering, with some events going remotely or sympathetic to other releases. Wind slabs continue to build on Northerly aspects. With continued snow and wind I expect wind slabs to grow and storm snow instabilities to linger.A Special Avalanche Warning has been issued for the South Coast Inland, NW and Interior regions. Keep yourself informed by reading the daily updated Avalanche Bulletins, the Special Warnings, and knowing the conditions in your "local" mountains.

Snowpack Summary

35cm of new snow fell in the last 24hrs, bringing the total storm accumulations to around 60cm. This storm was accompanied by moderate to locally strong southerly winds, yielding intense slab production on North through East facing terrain at treeline and in the alpine. This new snow overlies a variety of wind modified surfaces, crusts at lower elevations and small islands of surface hoar in sheltered areas. Easy shears are present in the new storm snow (graupel down 30cm) and at the old interface (facets down 60). Below this, the mid and lower snowpack is well bonded and strong.

Regions covered