Check for the presence of buried weak layers before committing to steep, high-consequence terrain.
Old hard wind slabs over weak sugary facets on a hard crust remain human-triggerable, mainly in rocky, steep alpine terrain.
The potential for loose wet avalanches will increase during periods of warming and direct sun on steep slopes.
On Saturday a skier accidentally triggered a large avalanche near Hudson Bay Mountain. It is suspected that this avalanche failed on the persistent weak layer described in the snowpack summary. Check this MIN post for full details.A few small natural avalanches were also reported in the Babines.
On Friday, a small ( size 1) skier-triggered size slab avalanche was reported in the Hudson Bay Mountain area. This avalanche also failed on the persistent weak layer.
A variety of conditions can be found in exposed terrain at treeline and above, including crusty and wind affected surfaces. In isolated areas in the alpine, hard wind slabs overlie a persistent layer of weak sugary facets above a crust, and continue to be susceptible to human triggering. In sheltered terrain, there is up to 5 cm of snow on top of a breakable crust and new surface hoar development. The remainder of the snowpack is generally not concerning.
Check out this MIN from our field team in the Babines.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, no precipitation, 15-20 km/h variable alpine wind, treeline temperature -6°C.
Monday
Mix of sun and cloud, no precipitation, 10 km/h southwest alpine wind, treeline temperature -3°C, freezing level 600 m.
Tuesday
Sunny, no precipitation, 15 to 20 km/h northwest alpine wind, treeline temperature -3°C, freezing level 700m.
Wednesday
Sunny, no precipitation, 10-15 km/h northwest alpine wind, treeline temperature -2°C, freezing level 700m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
