Avalanche Forecast
Northwest Inland
Wind and new snow have created touchy slabs at higher elevations. With buried weak layers in the snowpack a release near the surface has the potential to step down. Choose conservative terrain, avoid windloaded areas and be aware of overhead hazard.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid lee and cross-loaded terrain near ridge crests or convex rolls.
- Watch for whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
- Be aware of the potential for wide propagations.
Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Weak layers buried 100-150 cm below the surface have been reactive in snowpack tests and have also produced a few large avalanches recently. These layers may remain sensitive to human triggering in shallow snowpack areas.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid lingering in runout zones, avalanches triggered up high may run long distances.
- Avoid shallow or thick to thin snowpack areas where triggering a deeper layer is more likely.
Avalanche Summary
There have been no new reports of avalanches since the long weekend when we received reports of continued natural wind slab activity near Smithers. See this MIN report for the latest.
On Saturday we received several reports of natural avalanches to size 3 (particularly on northeast facing slopes at higher elevations) as the winds picked up and slab avalanches ran surprisingly far. See this MIN post for more information. See here for a stunning photo of a large avalanche.
Also on Saturday, explosives control produced size 2.5 avalanches in below tree line terrain north of Smithers. Farther south but also below treeline, skiers were able to trigger a size 2 persistent slab avalanche on a south facing sparsely treed (deciduous) slope just north of Hankin. See here for the MIN report.
Snowpack Summary
About 10-20 cm of new snow and strong winds from a wide range of directions (mostly northwesterly) have scoured some slopes and created touchy wind slabs at tree line and above. Where the wind has not affected the snow, you'll find 50-80cm of recent storm snow from the past week.
A crust and/or weak feathery surface hoar layer buried in mid-January now lies about 100 cm below the surface. The crust exists well into the alpine and the surface hoar can be found in sheltered areas in the lower alpine and tree line elevations. Snowpack tests produced hard, sudden results on weak, sugary snow crystals associated with this crust in the Smithers area, indicating that this is still a layer of concern to watch for.
Another two crust / surface hoar layers that were buried in December are now 100-150 cm below the surface. These layers produced sudden results in snowpack tests and have been the suspected weak layer in large remotely (from a distance) triggered avalanches.
See here for a good summary of recent snowpack test results near Smithers.
Weather Forecast
THURSDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 5-10 cm. Ridge wind moderate to strong west. Temperature -10. Freezing level valley bottom.
FRIDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind becoming light, southwest. Temperature -10. Freezing level valley bottom.
SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 5 cm. Ridge wind moderate to strong, east. Temperature -15. Freezing level valley bottom.
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Winds have produced reactive wind slabs in exposed areas at tree line and above. Expect these slabs to be reactive to human triggering and keep in mind that a release may also step-down to a deeper layer buried in the snowpack.