Weather Forecast
Overnight Thursday: Few flurries with amounts 2-5cm. Ridgetop winds 20km/hr from the SE with alpine temperatures -2. Freezing levels 1300m. Friday: Snow amounts up to 5cms. Freezing levels near 1700m. Ridgetop winds light from the SE, alpine temperatures steady -1. Saturday: A ridge builds Friday afternoon and persists through the weekend. This may bring scattered flurries early in the day Saturday, light ridgetop winds, and possibly sunny alpine skies.
Avalanche Summary
Glide crack activity up to size 2.5 has been reported in the Coquilhalla at treeline and below. Glide cracks are hard to predict, avoid riding in terrain below them. No other avalanche activity has been reported.
Snowpack Summary
Snow surface conditions are variable. Thin, breakable sun crusts have developed on steep solar aspects in the alpine. Melt freeze crusts exist at lower elevations on most aspects. At treeline and below treeline surface faceting and surface hoar growth (5mm) has formed; especially on shady aspects in sheltered locations. This may be a future layer of concern once buried. Additionally in the Coquilhalla hard wind slabs 5-15cm thick and have formed due to strong outflow winds. The Duffy Lake area and the Coquihalla hosts a well settled mid pack.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.