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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 7th, 2023–Apr 8th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Another storm will impact the South Coast ranges Saturday and could extend into this region.

Dial back your terrain choices if there is more than 25 cm of recent snow where you are riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

In the last 24 hours, a few natural thin wind slabs were observed in alpine and at treeline as well as loose wet avalanches (up to size 2) at lower elevations. Tuesday, a skier accidentally triggered a storm slab/wind slab from a north-facing alpine slope on Face Mountain.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

10-15 cm of new snow was received Thursday night in higher elevations. Moist snow or crusty surface formed up to 1900 m on all aspects due to warm weather on Thursday. At upper elevations, shady wind-sheltered areas may still hold dry, low-density snow. This overlies on a variety of surfaces, including melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects, wind-affected snow on open slopes and leeward features. Low elevations are melting out rapidly.

A weak layer of sugary facets is still prominent at the base of the snowpack. Although we haven't seen avalanche activity on it for some time, it could reactivate with sudden changes like prolonged or intense warming shocking the snowpack. Large loads like cornice falls are likely to trigger this layer, but human triggering may be possible in rocky, shallow, or thin-to-thick snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Windy conditions are expected as two more storms will roll into the South Coast ranges over the weekend. A stronger impulse is forecasted for Sunday, with moderate precipitation.

Friday night

Cloudy. Isolated flurries. Strong southwest wind gusting 60 km/h Alpine low -6 °C. Freezing level steady at 1200 m.

Saturday

Cloudy. Isolated flurries. Local amount up to 10 cm. Strong southwest wind gusting 60 km/h Alpine high -5 °C. Freezing level rises to 1500 m.

Sunday

Snow 15-20 cm. Strong southwest wind gusting 50 km/h Alpine high -2°C. Freezing level rises to 1700 m.

Monday

Cloudy. Isolated flurries. Moderate southwest wind gusting 40 km/h Alpine low -3 °C. Freezing level steady at 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Investigate the bond of the recent snow
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.