Seek out sheltered terrain where the snow hasn’t been wind-affected. Check out our Forecasters' Blog about factoring extreme cold into your trip plans.
Recent winds have built slabs at and below ridgetops in atypical areas. These slabs are likely to be more reactive where they overlie a weak layer of surface hoar and/or a crust.
Thursday The field team reported a size 1 (small) wind slab avalanche in the Ground Hog area by Barkerville out of steep north-facing alpine terrain. Check out this MIN for more details.
Wednesday A few size 1 (small) skier-triggered slabs were reported in the Cariboos near Quesnel Lake. They were 55 cm deep and failed on a weak layer of surface hoar.
Tuesday A natural size 2.5 (large) wind slab was reported on a southwest face at treeline north of Powder King.
Previous strong winds have created wind slabs in exposed areas at treeline and above on south and westerly faces.
10-20 cm of new snow fell in the region earlier this week, adding to about 20-30 cm of older storm snow. Collectively, this snow sits on a crust up to 1400 m in the north and 1900 m in the south. In parts of the Cariboos, this snow may also overlie a weak layer of surface hoar.
Two more layers of surface hoar may be found buried between 90 and 150 cm at treeline. The likelihood of triggering these layers is low, with the possible exception being shallow, rocky areas at upper treeline.
The current snowpack has considerable variation in structure and depths across the region and is shallow for this time of year.
Friday night
Mostly clear with no new snow, northwesterly wind 20-30 km/h, treeline temperature low of -37°C
Saturday
Partly cloudy with no new snow, southwest wind 15-20 km/h. treeline temperature high of -24°C.
Sunday
Mix of sun and cloud with no new snow, northwest wind 20-30 km/h, treeline temperature high -21°C.
Monday
Cloudy with no new snow, northwest wind 30-50 km/h, treeline temperature high -15°C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
