Avalanche Forecast
South Coast Inland
Fresh snow may hide wind slabs on north aspects. Be wary of cornices: they are large and fragile, especially in the north of the region. Watch for rapid snow loading in the south (Coquihalla) on Tuesday, and be prepared to dial back terrain use.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.
- Be cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Watch for whumpfing, hollow sounds, and shooting cracks.
Avalanche Problem 2: Cornices
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Cornices are large and fragile: Give them a wide berth and a lot of respect.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Pay attention to overhead hazards like cornices which could trigger persistent slabs.
- Give cornices a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday two skiers triggered a size 1 wind slab (40cm thick crown) in a down wind (lee) area, north facing aspect near 2060m elevation up Phelix creek. See the MIN post for more details.
On Thursday, skiers triggered a size 2 wind slab that caught and carried a skier near Steep Creek in the Duffey zone. Slab thickness was 15-20cm. See this MIN post for more details.
A week ago there was report of a skier triggered wind slab from the north of the region in the alpine near ridge top running on a layer of facets buried March 21. See this MIN post for more details.
Snowpack Summary
Convective flurries and gusty winds on Easter Sunday resulted in some local accumulations up to 25cm; however, most areas saw 10-15cm of new snow.
This new snow sits on melt-freeze crusts on sunny aspects at treeline and below or it sits on hard wind slabs in the alpine, and possibly some soft wind slabs on shady aspects.
Winds picked up earlier on Sunday morning, creating fresh wind slabs on northerly aspects.
Snow from a week ago sits on a deeper crust that is present at all elevations on sunny aspects as well as low elevation northerly aspects. On northerly and east aspects between 1900m and 2250m the old storm snow sits on a mix of large surface hoar and or facets buried March 21st, and found down anywhere from 20-70cm. The distribution the March 21st layer is patchy, and has resulted in some hard to trigger avalanches ranging from size 1 to 2.5.
Weather Forecast
Unsettled weather until the next system arrives on Wednesday. Freezing levels will increase slowly & steadily.
TUESDAY: Cloudy with flurries Monday overnight and into the morning (5-15 cm, with higher totals possible in the South) / Light to moderate south west wind (some strong west winds in the Coquihalla and Manning) / Alpine temperature -7 / Freezing level 1200m
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with flurries (5-10 cm) / Moderate south west wind / Alpine temperature -6 / Freezing level 1300m
THURSDAY: Snow (5-15cm) / Light to moderate southwest wind / Alpine temperature -3 / Freezing level 1600m
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 Inland URL:
http://www.avalanche.ca/api/forecasts/south-coast-inland.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.
Moderate to strong southerly winds have built wind slabs. These slabs seem to be most reactive in the north of the region, specifically on shady aspects where they may be sitting on a layer of weak facets or surface hoar.