Avalanche Forecast
Regions: East Island, North Island, South Island, Vancouver Island, West Island.
Although natural avalanche activity is tapering off, new snow may still be reactive to human triggering due to a buried weak layer.
New Forecaster Blog "Keeping a Conservative Mindset"
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Snowpack Summary
Around 30 to 60 cm of storm snow has accumulated recently and may be poorly bonded to underlying layers. The storm snow overlies a hard melt-freeze crust in most areas and a weak layer of facets and/or surface hoar on high north-facing slopes. In wind-exposed terrain, storm snow has been redistributed by moderate to strong southwest wind.
The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and dense with no other layers of concern.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
Clear. 10 to 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Friday
Cloud increasing through the day. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with light flurries, 1 to 4 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Sunday
Partly cloudy. 30 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
- Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
- Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
- Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
30 to 60 cm of recent snow combined with southwest winds have formed slabs at upper elevations. Back off to more conservative terrain if you experience signs of instability like whumphing, shooting cracks and recent avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5