Avalanche Forecast
South Coast
Dial back your terrain choices when the snow gets moist or mushy and avoid cliffs, gullies, and steep slopes with trees.
Avalanche Problem 1: Loose Wet
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use extra caution on sunny slopes or if the snow is moist or wet.
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where small avalanches may have severe consequences.
Avalanche Problem 2: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Slab avalanches are possible in steep and/or exposed terrain at the highest elevations. Be careful around broad open slopes and steep terrain, especially where you can feel a buried crust with your ski pole.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use caution on open slopes and convex rolls
- Be alert to conditions that change with elevation.
Avalanche Summary
Several small wet loose avalanches have been reported in steep terrain with the warming temperatures over the past few days. On Sunday, a size 1.5 natural wind slab avalanche was reported on a north-facing slope at 1500 m near Sky Pilot Mountain.
Snowpack Summary
Warm weather is melting the snow surface all the way to the top of the highest mountains. Crusts may form overnight, but will melt quickly in the morning. The 80-100 cm of storm snow that fell last week is rapidly settling and bonding to a buried crust. Travel has improved below treeline, but there are still open creeks, alder, and other early season hazards. Expect snow depths around 200 cm at 1200 m and 60 cm at 800 m.
Weather Forecast
THURSDAY: Sunny, light wind, freezing level up to 3400 m.
FRIDAY: Sunny, light wind, freezing level around 3000 m.
SATURDAY: Increasing cloud, moderate southwest wind, freezing level around 2700 m.
Avalanche Forecasts in your Inbox
Avalanche Canada has switched to an RSS feed for its daily forecasts. This is a much more flexible method that allows automatic delivery to your email inbox, or to an RSS reader of your choice.
What are RSS feeds?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a popular standardized file format allowing up-to-date delivery of web-based content. RSS feeds enable you to receive content updates from websites, delivered to your email through an RSS aggregator (such as blogtrottr.com) or viewed through applications called RSS readers (such as feedly.com).
Set up an RSS feed for your email:
Select a RSS aggregator
- South Coast URL:
http://www.avalanche.ca/api/forecasts/south-coast.rss - Copy the url and paste it into the appropriate field of your RSS aggregator.
- Fill in your email address.
- Voila! Watch the Avalanche Canada forecast roll into your inbox.
Forecast Disclaimer
Avalanche Canada's Public Avalanche Bulletin, and other information and services provided by Avalanche Canada, are intended for personal and recreational purposes only.
**THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND IN NO EVENT SHALL THE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES RESULTING FROM DISCOMFORT, INJURY, OR DEATH, CLAIMS BY THIRD PARTIES OR FOR OTHER SIMILAR COSTS, OR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.**
The user acknowledges that it is impossible to accurately predict natural events such as avalanches in every instance, and uses the data in this bulletin with this always foremost in mind. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and the Providers disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use the data.
Conditions will be more like spring than winter this week. Surface snow layers will weaken when hit by the sun. Minimize your exposure to terrain traps - even small sluffs can push you into dangerous terrain.