Spooky Snow & Sunny Skies
Afternoon update: Avalanche Canada has issued a Special Public Avalanche Warning for most of BC this weekend, including the Fraser Valley.
Last weekend was a mixed bag when it came to snow and weather. On the one hand, we finally got some snow. On the other hand, we had to navigate high freezing levels and some nasty weather. Earlier this week there was some decent skiing at higher elevations, but all this weather has also created elevated, and spooky avalanche conditions.
Large avalanches up to size 4 were observed in the Manning Park region. With crowns up to 2 meters tall, these were impressive slides that have stood the hairs up on the backs of a lot of our necks. Smaller, up to size 2, slabs were seen on steeper terrain in the Coquihalla. Since then, widespread loose wet avalanche activity has been reported across the region.
Looking Ahead
Up until this point, we've had a relatively easy to manage snowpack when it comes to avalanche problems. Now things are changing. We have both a buried persistent weak layer, and a long stretch of warm, sunny weather on the horizon. Freezing levels are expected to rise up to mountain top elevation in the coming days, with treeline temperatures forecast to hit +8ºC by this weekend. This requires another change in mindset that's well summarized by this Avalanche Canada blog.
Heat and sun is going to soften and destabilize our snowpack in the days ahead. Expect to find wet, sloppy snow, especially at lower elevations. When the temperature drops again, expect to find a widespread crust, especially on shaded slopes.
Right now, windslabs are still reactive at higher elevations with a lurking persistent slab waking up deeper in the snowpack. With heat and sun, we may see a widespread cycle of large, natural avalanches. If that happens, the good news is it might help clear out some of our lurking problems, but conditions could get very dangerous in the meantime.
Two things we'll be thinking about when the temperature rises this weekend are first, being aware of overhead hazard where large natural slides could run down into simpler terrain. Second, if a slope doesn't slide naturally, we're going to be very cautious around it as it could be hiding a touchy avalanche problem.
Upcoming Events
Next week we have two great events coming up. If, like us, this warmer weather has you thinking about trail running, don't miss the Mountain Town Series event Trail Run Tales. Featuring Ihor Verys, Jeremy Rolle and Marina Striker, it's going to a great night of stories and conversation. Details and tickets are here.
On Thursday, join us at Mt.Waddington in Chilliwack for an Intro to Wilderness First Aid workshops. Tickets for that are $10 and proceeds go to Chilliwack SAR.
