Sea To Sky

Seek out wind-sheltered terrain where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.

A large (size 2) natural slab was reported on Tuesday, failing on a sun-affected slope. Skiers also ski cut a few small wind slabs in wind-affected terrain.

On Sunday, explosive control in the Duffey area produced several large (size 2-2.5) wind slab avalanches that failed on the weak layer below the storm snow.

30 to 50 cm of snow fell during last weekend's storm. This snow is slowly settling and remains dry and powdery due to the cold temperatures. Upper elevations have had some wind-effect and wind slabs may be found near ridgetops.

The accumulated storm snow is sitting on a weak layer that developed in late January. In most areas, this layer consists of a hard slippery crust. However, on shady, upper-elevation slopes, the new snow may be resting on faceted grains or surface hoar.

The mid and lower snowpack is well-settled and bonded with no other layers of concern.

Wednesday Night

Sunny. 5 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -22 °C.

Thursday

Mostly sunny. 5 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C.

Friday

Mostly sunny. 5 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Saturday

Mostly sunny. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
• Start with conservative terrain and watch for signs of instability.
• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.