Avalanche Forecast
Cariboos
Cold temperatures mean slow change in the snowpack. Persistent slab problems won't heal quickly. Stay watchful for signs of wind effect and slab formation at lower elevations.
Avalanche Problem 1: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Distribution of buried surface hoar is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
- Buried surface hoar is more likely to be preserved in sheltered openings at and below tree line.
- Watch for signs of slab formation at lower elevations, such as whumphing or shooting cracks.
Avalanche Problem 2: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Recent shifting winds have been redistributing loose snow into wind slabs on a wide range of aspects. Exercise extra caution at lower elevations where winds may have formed a slab over a touchy surface hoar layer.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be aware of recent variable wind loading patterns.
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported in the region. In addition to lingering wind slabs at higher elevations, persistent slab avalanche danger remains a primary concern in areas where the last week's storm snow consolidates into a slab above the December 15 interface.
Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Snowpack Summary
Last week's storm brought 20-40cm of new snow to the region. Predominantly northwest winds since the storm redistributed loose snow at the surface into wind slabs on a variety of aspects at higher elevations while cold temperatures inhibited slab formation elsewhere. The cold has also worked to break down the cohesion and reactivity of older wind slabs. The storm snow lies over a variety of old surfaces, including large surface hoar (weak, feather-like crystals), crusts formed by sun or wind, and sugary facets. The bond at this old snow interface is of the greatest importance in areas where the overlying snow has consolidated into a slab. The most concerning areas areas are those that saw pronounced surface hoar development in advance of the storm, such as sheltered areas at and below tree line.
A crust which was formed by rain in late November is another major feature in the snowpack and is down approximately 70-100cm at tree line elevations. This interface has shown some signs of reactivity limited to steep, variably loaded alpine features in adjacent regions.
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Light southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures of -20.
Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light northeast winds. Alpine high temperatures of -18.
Friday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries bringing a trace of new snow, increasing overnight. Light east winds. Alpine high temperatures of -16.
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Set up an RSS feed for your email:
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- Cariboos URL:
http://www.avalanche.ca/api/forecasts/cariboos.rss - Copy the url and paste it into the appropriate field of your RSS aggregator.
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A weak layer of surface hoar buried 20-40 cm deep has potential to produce large avalanches where the overlying snow has settled into a cohesive slab. The greatest caution is needed around steeper, sheltered slopes at treeline and below.