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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Cariboos.
A Special Avalanche Warning has been issued for this weekend. Now is an important time to exercise restraint and stick to low angle terrain.
Confidence
Poor - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
An Arctic high pressure system dominates the forecast for the next few days. Clear, cold, and dry conditions are expected until at least Thursday.Sunday: Sunny, treeline temperature around -30, light-moderate NW alpine wind Monday: A mix of sun and cloud, treeline temperature around -25, light W alpine wind Tuesday: Mostly sunny, treeline temperature around -20, moderate-strong NW alpine wind
Avalanche Summary
We haven't had any new reports since last weekend. If you have any observations, please send them to [email protected]. Recent observations from the Rogers Pass area where the conditions are expected to be similar include widespread natural activity up to size 3.5 on Thursday and Friday. A natural size 3 was also reported on Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
The storm produced a slab up to 1 m thick which sits on the mid-November weak layer (facets, surface hoar, and/or a sun crust on steep southerly slopes). 20-30cm below this layer is a thick rain crust with weak facets on top. Snowpack data from the Cariboo region is very limited at the moment but I expect these layers are reacting similarly to the North Selkirk/Monashees because the formation conditions were generally the same. Recent strong and variable winds have probably created dense wind slabs in exposed terrain and resulted in variable snow distribution in the alpine.
Problems
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.