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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 7th, 2025–Feb 8th, 2025

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

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Use caution in treeline and alpine areas sheltered from the wind, as a preserved weak layer may remain reactive.

Careful sluff management is key, especially when terrain traps are present.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Last Sunday, a few small natural and human-triggered dry loose avalanches were reported in steep northeast facing terrain. See this great MIN for details!

We expect unconsolidated snow will remain reactive to rider traffic in steep terrain. Carefully manage sluffing and minimize exposure to overhead hazards wherever possible.

Snowpack Summary

25 to 50 cm of storm snow from last week is beginning to facet. Deeper deposits can be found on north and east slopes in wind-loaded areas. This storm snow has not bonded well to the old snow surfaces, which includes melt-freeze crusts on sun-exposed slopes, large surface hoar or facets on shaded slopes, and wind-affected snow in exposed terrain at ridgelines.

A weak layer of surface hoar or facets is buried, 20 to 35 cm deep. This layer is most likely to be preserved in areas sheltered from the wind at treeline elevations.

The lower snowpack is strong and bonded. Treeline snow depths average 150 to 200 cm.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 1-2 cm. 10 to 25 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Sunday

Mainly sunny. 10 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

Monday

Mainly sunny. 10 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.