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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2023–Mar 29th, 2023

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead.

North to northeast winds may have created wind slabs in areas where you don't normally see them.

Polar slopes may offer the best and safest riding.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Monday.

This past weekend there were avalanches caused by natural cornice failure in our area. On Saturday, in the Helm Peak area, there were two size 3 avalanches caused by cornice failure that did trigger the slope below. These were in the alpine on northeast and northwest faces.

Also on Saturday, several natural loose dry avalanches, up to size 1, were reported at treeline and above. A skier accidental size 1.5 storm slab avalanche was reported on a steep, north aspect at 1500 m.

Snowpack Summary

North to northeast winds may have created wind slabs in the alpine and into treeline. This is atypical wind and can be considered reverse loading.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

At the bottom of the snowpack, a layer of weak facets remains present and continues to be monitored for signs of reactivity.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Clear, no accumulation, winds northeast 20 to 30 km/h, freezing levels down to 700 m.

Wednesday

Sunny with some clouds, no accumulation, winds northeast switching to southwest and light, freezing levels 1900 m.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud, trace accumulation, winds southwest 15 km/h, freezing levels 1600 m.

Friday

Cloudy, 7 to 10 cm accumulation, winds southwest 25 km/h, freezing levels 1000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.
  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.