HIGH AVALANCHE DANGER
Whistler Avalanche conditions from CAA website
ravel Advisory My primary concern for tomorrow is the windslab that formed today that will only grow with the forecast snowfall and warmer temperatures. The slab has formed on the west and northwest aspects at ridgeline in the alpine, and as the storm passes with snowfall and more wind the slabs will creep down into the treeline and also build on the north and northeast aspects at the end of the storm. Choosing terrain that is lower angle, and not in the lee of a large fetch area will help reduce your exposure to these windslabs. Also, I continue to be concerned that a sharp increase in load on the weak layer of facets from early December will create the possibility to get a large avalanche running full path.
Avalanche Activity Skiers are triggering slabs up to 30cm deep at ridgeline easily today. Yesterday a few natural slab avalanches were reported out of very steep terrain up to size 2.5 (enough to bury a person).
Snowpack Previous low density snow was available for transport for the winds today. The stiffer windslab will be forming quickly in the West and North West aspects. Easy shears found down 20cm and moderate shears down 30-40cm in older storm snow. Under this is the well formed pencil midpack that is sitting on the facets and crust from early December. This weak layer is still producing moderate to hard stability results with sudden sharp fractures once initiated.
Weather A pacific frontal system will bring to the south Coast 20 to 30 cm of snow tonight and 10 to 15 cm of snow Wednesday. Mountain top winds rising to south 70 to 100 tonight then easing to southwest 50 to 70 Wednesday morning. In some areas such as the Northshore the snowfall amounts could be double the forecast. The freezing levels are rising up to 1000m and possibly higher to 2000m in some areas, especially on Friday, then dropping off Saturday.
ravel Advisory My primary concern for tomorrow is the windslab that formed today that will only grow with the forecast snowfall and warmer temperatures. The slab has formed on the west and northwest aspects at ridgeline in the alpine, and as the storm passes with snowfall and more wind the slabs will creep down into the treeline and also build on the north and northeast aspects at the end of the storm. Choosing terrain that is lower angle, and not in the lee of a large fetch area will help reduce your exposure to these windslabs. Also, I continue to be concerned that a sharp increase in load on the weak layer of facets from early December will create the possibility to get a large avalanche running full path.
Avalanche Activity Skiers are triggering slabs up to 30cm deep at ridgeline easily today. Yesterday a few natural slab avalanches were reported out of very steep terrain up to size 2.5 (enough to bury a person).
Snowpack Previous low density snow was available for transport for the winds today. The stiffer windslab will be forming quickly in the West and North West aspects. Easy shears found down 20cm and moderate shears down 30-40cm in older storm snow. Under this is the well formed pencil midpack that is sitting on the facets and crust from early December. This weak layer is still producing moderate to hard stability results with sudden sharp fractures once initiated.
Weather A pacific frontal system will bring to the south Coast 20 to 30 cm of snow tonight and 10 to 15 cm of snow Wednesday. Mountain top winds rising to south 70 to 100 tonight then easing to southwest 50 to 70 Wednesday morning. In some areas such as the Northshore the snowfall amounts could be double the forecast. The freezing levels are rising up to 1000m and possibly higher to 2000m in some areas, especially on Friday, then dropping off Saturday.
