Avalanche Forecast
South Coast
10 to 20 cm of new snow Tuesday will add to the 55 cm that fell over the weekend. The snow rests on a mix of old surfaces and storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering. Start with simple terrain and gather info before stepping out.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Start with small terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger objectives.
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind-loaded snow.
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where small avalanches may have severe consequences.
Avalanche Problem 2: Cornices
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Large cornices have formed along ridgelines. Cornices are inherently unstable, unpredictable, and demand respect, especially if the sun is shining.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Firm cornices may pull back into flat terrain at ridgetop if they fail.
- Give cornices a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Avalanche Summary
No new activity to report from Saturday or Sunday. The new snow was reactive to skier activity on Friday, producing small (size 1) dry loose and storm slabs. See this MIN report that talks about storm slabs 10 to 40 cm in depth here.
Snowpack Summary
Around 30 to 40 cm of storm snow fell on Friday and another 10 to 15 cm of snow fell Saturday night into Sunday. Both of these storms had strong southerly winds. All of this snow rests on previously wind-affected surfaces and a sun crust on southerly aspects.
A hard rain crust that extends into alpine terrain is buried about 60 to 100 cm. Reports suggest the snow has a poor bond to the crust with test results showing sudden planar characteristics and a Rutschblock 2 (the whole block failing after standing on it).
Monitor the bonds of the new snow as well as the bond of the snow directly above the buried crust. There are no substantial layers of concern below the crust.
Also make note of cornices at ridgeline. Variable winds in the past month have produced cornices on all aspects. They will become touchier as they grow in size, as temperatures rise, and as the sun packs a strong punch on clear days. Stand well back of them!
Weather Forecast
A weak upper trough Tuesday should deliver a good shot of precipitation and wind before a vigorous low makes landfall on Wednesday which has potential to bring significant precipitation. Unfortunately the weather models have not yet agreed on a solution with regard to track and intensity, but there will likely be less uncertainty as we get closer to Wednesday. Stay tuned for more details.
TUESDAY: Overcast, freezing level around 500 m, moderate to strong northwest wind, 10 to 20 cm of snow.
WEDNESDAY: Overcast, freezing level around 750 m, potentially strong to extreme south/southwest wind, latest model run shows about 10 cm of snow. Stay tuned for more details.
THURSDAY: Scattered cloud cover, freezing level around 1000 m, light southeast wind, trace of snow possible.
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.
10 to 20 cm is expected Tuesday which adds to the 55 cm of snow that fell over the weekend. This snow rests on old wind slabs and a crust on solar aspects, but little is known about the bond. Storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.