Avalanche Forecast
Cariboos
Conditions will deteriorate over the day as cranking winds redistribute our loose snow into new wind slabs.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Be cautious around high, sheltered north aspects where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
- Give cornices a wide berth when travelling on or below ridges.
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Avalanche Summary
Reports from Monday included another ski cut storm slab (size 1) on a high north aspect in the southern part of the region.
Sunday's reports included two small skier-triggered storm slabs that released on a north aspect in the alpine. Their crown fractures were 25 cm deep.
Last Wednesday there were reports of several natural, loose, wet avalanches up to size 1.5 on south aspects at all elevations, as well as a skier triggered wind slab (size 1) on a northeast aspect at 2300 m.
Snowpack Summary
Recent light snowfalls have been followed by warm daytime temperatures and glimpses of sun, setting up a couple of thin storm snow layers over temperature and sun crusts at lower elevations and on south aspects. On shaded aspects at higher elevations, these snowfalls have buried and preserved a couple of surface hoar layers now found up to 25 cm deep. The deepest of these surface hoar layers has been the failure plane in several recent slab avalanches.
New snow amounts taper with elevation and below 1800 m, minimal accumulations have buried a supportive crust on all aspects. This crust will likely break down with daytime warming, becoming moist in the afternoon.
Persistent weak layers from early January and mid-December are still being reported by local operators. They are generally considered dormant, but could wake up with a surface avalanche stepping down, a large cornice fall, or a human trigger in a shallow or variable-depth snowpack area. These layers consist of sun crust, surface hoar and/or facets.
Weather Forecast
Thursday: Cloudy with scattered wet flurries and a trace to 5 cm of new snow to high elevations by end of day. Snowfall increasing overnight. Strong southeast winds. Freezing level to 1900 metres with alpine high temperatures around -1.
Friday: Mainly cloudy with continuing isolated flurries bringing around 2 cm of new snow. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Freezing level to 1000 metres with alpine high temperatures around -8.
Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light southwest winds. Freezing level at valley bottom with alpine high temperatures around -10.
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Forecast strong winds are expected to redistribute loose surface snow into touchy new wind slabs on Thursday. High elevation north aspects are a special concern for harbouring buried surface hoar that will be increasingly stressed by wind loading.