Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Apr 15 – 16, 2018Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

When the sun comes out it will quickly weaken the surface snow. Watch for signs that the snow is heating up such as pin-wheeling or the snow surface becoming moist.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Sunshine may cause recently formed wind slabs to become more reactive to human triggers.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    When the sun comes out it will quickly weaken the new snow and cause loose wet avalanching on steep solar slopes.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Light northeasterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +2. Freezing level around 1200 m.TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks. Light southwesterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +1. Freezing level around 1100 m.WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy with flurries. Light southwesterly ridgetop winds. Alpine temperature +2. Freezing level around 1200 m.

Avalanche Summary

Several naturally triggered wind slabs up to size 2 on steep alpine features were reported near Bear Pass on Saturday. On Wednesday, a size 2.5 persistent slab avalanche was remotely triggered by a group of skiers on a ridgetop from 10 m away. The avalanche failed on surface hoar about 70 cm deep on a north aspect at 1800 m near Bear Pass.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of recent storm snow and strong variable winds have formed wind slabs on a variety of aspects at treeline and above.In the south of the region, two layers of surface hoar are buried approximately 70-100 cm deep. The layers are most prominent on north to east aspects and were buried early-March and mid-March. In the north of the region, these layers are around 40 cm deep.Bellow these March layers the mid-pack is generally well-settled and strong. However, shallower parts of the region, such as the far north, have weak sugary facets near the bottom of the snowpack.

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