South Coast

Seek out sheltered terrain where the snow remains soft and powdery.

Be careful if you transition into wind-affected terrain.

No new avalanches have been reported since last weekend when numerous small to large storm slab avalanches occurred. They were naturally and human-triggered, with slabs up to 60 cm deep, running on a crust or facet layer beneath the storm snow. Looking forward, we expect naturally triggered avalanches to be unlikely, but human triggering to remain possible.

Up to 120 cm of snow fell during the last storm, with one or two thin rain crusts buried 40 to 90 cm deep, caused by a brief temperature spike. The storm snow is slowly settling, remaining dry and powdery in the cold. Wind-affected snow and wind slabs formed by shifting wind may be found on various aspects at upper elevations.

This storm snow sits on a weak late-January layer, which is a hard, slippery crust in most areas. However, on shady upper slopes, it may rest on faceted grains or surface hoar.

Below this, the mid and lower snowpack is well-settled with no major concerns.

Check out this awesome MIN if you are heading out near Powell River.

Thursday Night

Clear skies. 15 to 20 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

Friday

Mostly sunny. 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud. 15 to 25 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. 15 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
• Be careful with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.