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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2023–Jan 8th, 2023

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

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

A highly variable snowpack structure exists throughout the region.

Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected, and avoid shallow rocky terrain where triggering deeper layers is most likely.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A size 1 wind slab avalanche was remotely triggered by a skier while setting up a skin track on a lee alpine feature near Whitecap Mountain. No other avalanches were reported in the last few days in the region.

Please continue to post your observations and photos to the Mountain Information Network. It helps strengthen our data gathering.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10 cm of new snow has fallen into the region since Friday. Ongoing southerly winds have scoured south-facing terrain in the alpine. A new layer of surface hoar exists under 10 cm of recent storm snow.

In sheltered terrain, 30 to 50 cm of low-density snow sits over a crust formed in late December. This crust varies in thickness throughout the terrain. In the mid-snowpack, a layer of surface hoar from early December has been observed down 80 to 100 cm on sheltered north-facing terrain.

There is a layer of facets and depth hoar at the bottom of the snowpack that is still a concern. Snowpack depths around treeline is about 150 cm deep. The snowpack below treeline is very shallow and faceted.

Weather Summary

A weak trough will continue to push moisture in the region Saturday night with a southerly flow aloft. On Sunday, another trough will generate periods of light snow until Monday night. Overcast skies and dry conditions are expected Tuesday.

Saturday night

Snow up to 5 cm, moderate south winds easing to light; freezing level around to 1200 m, low of -5C at treeline.

Sunday

Snow up to 5 cm expected in the afternoon, southerly winds increasing to 45 km/h by the end of the day, freezing level around 1200 m, high of -2C at treeline.

Monday

Cloudy, isolated flurries up to 2 cm, moderate southerly winds gusting to 45 km/h then easing by the end of the day, freezing level around 1000 m, high of -2C at treeline.

Tuesday

Cloudy, no precipitations, light southeasterly winds, freezing levels around 1000 m, high of -4C at treeline.

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.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Conditions may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.
  • Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.

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.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.