Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Jan 21st, 2019 4:38PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Storm Slabs.
swerner,
Avalanche Canada
It's all about the recent snow and the reactivity right now. In the alpine, it's been blown into thick and reactive wind slabs. At mid and lower elevations, thinner but more widespread slabs have been releasing over a weak layer of surface hoar.
Summary
Confidence
High -
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: The ridge of high pressure will slowly move out as the next system rolls in. This will bring mostly cloudy skies, 5-10 cm of new snow and moderate ridgetop winds from the southwest. Wednesday: Snow 10-25 cm on average through the region. The Monashee range may see the higher amounts up to 25 cm. Moderate to strong southwest winds and freezing levels near 1300 m. Thursday: Cloudy with isolated flurries. Westerly winds generally light with strong gusts and the freezing levels fall to 1000 m.
Avalanche Summary
Over the weekend recent storm slabs up to size 2 were very reactive to light loads like skier traffic, especially where the new snow sits above buried surface hoar 1500-1800m. At higher elevations wind slabs have formed on North-Northeast aspects from strong Southerly winds Saturday. Pockets of wind slab are also reactive to skier traffic. Natural avalanche activity has tapered off but triggering a touchy slab that sits above surface hoar or a crust is likely.
Snowpack Summary
15-25 cm of new snow from the weekend now sits above a layer of large feathery surface hoar crystals and sun crusts. Strong winds associated with the new snow formed reactive wind slabs on leeward slopes and scoured southerly aspects down to the old crust at treeline and in the alpine. The recent snow has been settling into a thin but reactive slab above this weak layer, with enhanced reactivity noted at elevations between 1500-1800 metres, where the surface hoar is particularly well developed on all aspects. The middle and lower portions of the snowpack are generally well-settled and strong.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Are reactive to skier triggers on leeward (N-NE) alpine slopes which are wind loaded from a wind event this past weekend, and especially touchy on all aspects at mid-lower elevations (1500-1800m) where the new snow sits above a surface hoar layer.
Use extra caution around open slopes and convex rollsWatch for whumpfing, hollow sounds, and shooting cracks.Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Jan 22nd, 2019 2:00PM
