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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 7th, 2023–Mar 8th, 2023

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

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson.

Watch for lingering wind slabs especially around ridge crests, convexities and in steep terrain. The sun at this time of year can pack a punch so avoid exposure to cornices and watch for signs of warming on steep south aspects.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Sunday or Monday.

On Saturday, there were a few reports of storm slab avalanches, a size 2.5 triggered by a cornice fall north of Stewart and a size 1.5 accidentally triggered by a skier north of Terrace.

Snowpack Summary

Surface conditions are a mix of very wind affected snow in exposed terrain features, old wind slabs on lee aspects, sun crusts or moist snow on steep solar aspects, and preserved softer snow in sheltered areas.

A layer of small surface hoar or facets is now buried over 80 cm deep. A facet/crust layer formed in late January exists around 150 cm deep. Large avalanches were suspected to have run on this layer in mid February. Triggering these deeper layers may still be possible in places where the snowpack is shallow.

The lower snowpack is generally well consolidated but as you move further inland where the snowpack is thinner, basal instabilities linger.

Weather Summary

Tuesday night

Up to 5 cm of new snow. Moderate to strong southeasterly wind. Alpine low -15 ˚C

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Wind easing to light easterly. Alpine high -8 ˚C

Thursday

Mostly sunny. Light wind. Alpine high -5˚C.

Friday

Mostly sunny. Moderate southeasterly wind. Alpine high -7 ˚C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Avoid slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if they have large cornices overhead.

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.