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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 5th, 2025–Feb 6th, 2025

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, South Coast Inland, Homathko, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

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

Confidence

No Rating

Avalanche Summary

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.

Snowpack Summary

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.

Weather Summary

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.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • 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.

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.