Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Saturday

Friday should be another dry day with some cloud. Freezing levels will be around 2000 near the coast in the morning; further inland an above freezing level layer will give a strong inversion between around 1400 and 2000m. In the afternoon, temperatures will become cooler. Winds will be moderate from the west. On Saturday, around 10 cm of snow is expected with gusty southwesterly winds and freezing levels most likely at valley bottom. On Sunday, strong, gusty winds will likely shift from SW to NW and temperatures will be cold. Flurries or light snowfall is the most likely scenario, moderate snowfall possible.

Two cornice releases were reported from Wednesday, both size 2 on a northeast aspect around 2000m. They only pulled out a very small slab on the slope below, indicating, while cornices are still unstable, the storm snow is gaining strength. Earlier in the week, there were two skier-triggered avalanches near Whistler that went on the recent storm snow interface down around 60 cm, one from Monday and one from Tuesday. Both were size 2 and released on a NE aspect around 2000 m. There have been no recent reports of activity stepping down to any of the lower weak layers in the snowpack.

At treeline, snowpack depths are around 250cm.Warm daytime temperatures and cool overnight temperatures have created a hard, crusty surface layer in many places, even up into the alpine. Surface hoar is growing on this surface, reportedly 3-5mm at this time. While it's on the surface, it obviously doesn't cause us too many problems, but if it is buried with snow, it has the potential to become our next touchy weak layer. The upper snowpack comprises a series of storm snow layers, which have generally bonded well to each other and are now gaining strength. Wind transport in the alpine has been significant in some areas with most wind slab development occurring on north and east aspects, but also some on south aspects. Concern for lower snowpack layers has diminished and remains only in shallow snowpack areas. Facets associated with a crust from mid-December and/or sugary facets at the base of the snowpack may still be a concern in areas you know to be unusually shallow, or where you can see rocks poking up out of the snow.