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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 20th, 2023–Dec 21st, 2023

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Homathko.

Carefully assess conditions as you gain elevation. In wind exposed terrain above the freezing line, wind slabs are possible.

At low elevations, you'll find a wet and compacted snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small, naturally triggered wet loose avalanches have been observed in steep terrain over the past few days, as well as a couple small, explosive triggered storm slabs in steep alpine terrain.

If you're heading out in the backcountry, please consider sharing any observations on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Light, mixed precipitation continues. Alpine windslabs could still avalanche under the weight of a human, or get deeper and more reactive through the day, depending on your local wind. At treeline and below precipitation is likely to fall as rain, keeping the snow surface moist.

At treeline and above two layers of note are buried around 30 to 70 cm deep. Both consist of a crust that tapers at higher elevations, and surface hoar in sheltered areas.

Overall, the snow depth remains shallow, with average treeline snowpack depths between 70 and 100 cm.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy. 5-10 cm of snow expected above 1700 m west of Whistler and Pemberton, 0-2 cm east. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around 0°C.

Thursday

Cloudy. 2-5 cm of snow expected above 1700m. Light to moderate southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around 0°C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of new snow expected. The storm will start with rain below 1500 m, but the freezing level will be at valley bottom by the end of the day. Light southwest ridgetop wind.

Saturday

Mostly Sunny. No new snow expected. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high around -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Adjust your travel plans accordingly to the changing conditions of elevation and time of day.

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.