Cariboos

A buried layer of surface hoar has been producing natural and human triggered avalanches. Stick to low consequence terrain and be wary of steep, convex slopes.

High

• The number, quality, or consistency of field observations is good, and supports our confidence.
• The snowpack structure is generally well understood.

In the past 3 days, widespread avalanche activity has been observed on a recently buried layer of surface hoar on a variety of aspects at all elevations. Avalanches have been an average of size 2, with some natural and explosive triggered avalanches up to size 3. Many have been triggered by humans, including several remotely triggered from ridgetops or low angle terrain.

60 to 100+ cm of recent snow rests on a problematic layer of surface hoar that was buried January 2nd. The recent snow has been affected by moderate southwesterly wind in open areas at treeline and in the alpine.

The prominent mid-December crust is buried 100 to 150cm deep, and is present up to 2300 m. Triggering this layer is considered unlikely, except with large loads or in thin snowpack areas.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 15 to 35 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1500 to 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
• Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.
• Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.