February 1, 2015

    An Avalanche in the Piz Vilan area of Switzerland has claimed 5 people, story Below. Internet Pic

    Rescue crews working where 7 people of a group of 9 were caught in an avalanche. REGA Pic

    Two separate avalanches in the Black Forest take 2 lives. Story Below                       Internet Pic.

    Cloudy on Saturday morning, January 31, 2015.

    Whistler Mountain early Saturday morning.

    Meager group. It was cloudy in Pemberton too!

    Front began to move in just before sunset.


Weather Observations for February 1, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters        -4, Winds were 40-55 KPH from the SSE
2180 meters        -3, Winds were 40-55 KPH from the SSW
1860 meters        -3, Winds were 25-35 KPH from the SSE
1835 meters        -1, Winds were 20-50 KPH from the SSE
1650 meters         0, 10 cm of new new snow, Base 131 cm
1550 meters        -1, 10 cm of new new snow, Base 109 cm,  Relative Humidity 99%.

  660 meters         0, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +4.2.

    As of 07:00 hours we have obscured skies, limited visibility and it is snowing less than 1 cm per hour.



For the Forecast, a weakening warm front is moving East over the area in a Westerly flow aloft. Freezing level my rise slightly this morning and the flow will likely become Southerly later this morning. Freezing levels will drop back down to 1000 meters as the cold front moves through.  Cloudy skies with very light precipitation for today, a weak cold front will follow later today with isolated flurries this evening and unsettled conditions over night. Another weak and diffuse front will arrive for Monday with very light precipitation and unsettled conditions by Monday evening. Models are still at odds with Tuesday and Wednesday but looks like unsettled conditions with Freezing levels averaging around  1200 meters and some very light precipitation Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The pattern will change by early Thursday morning with a series of warm wet fronts moving onto the coast into at least Saturday. Freezing levels will average around 1700 meters through this period and spike at about 2000 meters. Moderate precipitation rates are forecasted for this time period. Guesstimates another 3-5 cm for today. 2-4 cm during the day Monday, 3-5 cm by Wednesday morning. 

    Cloudy most of the day on Saturday.

    Big picture has some moisture heading our way later in the week.

    Brunt of the precipitation moved through earlier this morning.

    Not very organised for Tuesday.

    Warm wet weather heading our way Thursday.



ARTICLES:

4 People deceased after an avalanche on Piz Vilan Mountain area: Switzerland

Two people die in separate avalanches in Germany: Black Forest

A climber has died in an avalanche in the Torridon Area: Scotland

Out Alive--Survive an Avalanche: Backpacker

Avalanche Information: Parks Canada

    Frost in the trees Saturday morning, -4 at 660 meters at 07:00 Hours.

    North West couloir on Wedge January 31, 2015.

   Armchair Saturday afternoon.

    Not much snow on Currie.

   Iced Willow branches in the Pemberton Valley Saturday, January 31, 2015.

January 31, 2015

    07:30 Hours Friday; January 30, 2015.

    Some great light early in the morning.

    Lots of cloud to the North early Friday morning.

    Awesome cloud development Friday morning over Armchair.

    Clouds to the North but Bluebird looking South yesterday early morning.

    Surface Hoar where it can grow is liking the cool nights.

    Serratus was looking great mid morning with some last light opportunities.

    By mid day the clouds had moved in for a very cloudy flat light afternoon.

    By days end it was clearing off again.

Weather Observations for January 31, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters        -5, Winds were 20-35 KPH from the SSW
2180 meters        -5, Winds were 25-40 KPH from the W
1860 meters        -3, Winds were 10-25 KPH from the WNW
1835 meters        -3, Winds were 5-10 KPH from the S
1650 meters        -2, No new new snow, Base 121 cm
1550 meters         0, No new new snow, Base 99 cm,  Relative Humidity 70%.

  660 meters        -4, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +4.3.

    As of 07:00 Hours we have mostly clear skies with a bit of high cirrus and unlimited visibility.


For the forecast, another clear evening with good crust recovery. The upper ridge is holding for now, but the offshore flow will eventually allow cloud into the area by this morning prior to the arrival of a warm front which will bring light precipitation to the area this evening and continue into Sunday. Freezing levels will drop to as low as a 1000 meters with a slight rise to 1300 meters by Sunday afternoon. The next front expected to arrive Sunday evening will be slightly cooler. Light precipitation from this front will continue into Tuesday morning with freezing levels hovering around 1000 meters. There are still major inconsistencies in the models beyond this time frame so more on that as we get closer. As of now it appears that a weak ridge will build for Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday before another warm front moves on shore for Thursday with moderate precipitation and freezing levels rising to 1800 meters. Guesstimates: 3-5 cm by Sunday morning, 3-5 cm by Monday morning, 3-5 cm by Tuesday morning.

   Satellite image from yesterday, cloudy in our zone.

   Big picture from yesterday, lots of potential moisture coming our way.

   Persistent high pressure will break down later today allowing a weak warm front into our zone.

   Steady light precipitation into Sunday.

   More light precipitation for Monday.

    Ridging for Tuesday evening into Wednesday.

   A fairly active and wet warm front for Thursday, still ? what this will do!


ARTICLES:

Skier Survived almost two hours Buried Alive: Austria

Persistent Slab Avalanches: Pistehors.com

Dangerous snowpack spurs avalanche classes: Montana

Vail Ski Patrol's first female avalanche dog handler: Women's Adventure Magazine

Man rescued from an avalanche near Vasterbotten: Sweden

Coast Mountain Backcountry Report: Escape Route

   Early morning pre trough clouds over Armchair.

    Mount Fee becoming engulfed mid morning Friday.

    Rumbling Glacier Friday morning.

   Spectacular as always.

January 30, 2015

    Free riders ignore closure and get caught in an avalanche near Verbier. Story below. Planet ski Pic

    Rock Avalanche on the Hurley. Closed! Story Below.                             IsurvivedtheHurley Pic

    Sunrise was officially at 07:51 on Thursday January 29, 2015. Days are slowly getting longer.

    Just after sunrise on Thursday.

    By 09:00 it was looking blue bird!!?

    By 10:00 Hrs the short wave trough was making for some cloudy skies.

    Blue bird by 13:00 Hours.  Mount Fee, Thursday afternoon January 29, 2015

    Sunset 17:00 on Thursday; January 29. 2015.


Weather Observations for January 30, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters        -2, Winds were 20-30 KPH from the SSE
2180 meters        -2, Winds were 30-40 KPH from the SW
1860 meters       +1, Winds were 15-25 KPH from the E
1835 meters       +2, Winds were 20-35 KPH from the SW
1650 meters         0, No new new snow, Base 121 cm
1550 meters         0, No new new snow, Base 99 cm,  Relative Humidity 54%.

  660 meters        -4, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday +5.9.

   As of 07:00 Hours we have clear skies to the East and unlimited visibility.


For the Forecast, the upper level ridge and surface ridge will bring mostly clear skies to the area this morning. Some clouds will move in for this morning into this evening. Saturday is looking unsettled with a push of cloud into the area on Saturday evening as the front reaches the coast. Light snow with a freezing level around 1300 meters will begin on Saturday evening and continue into Monday afternoon. A weak ridge will bring unsettled conditions for Monday night into Tuesday night with freezing levels to the valley. Another weak front will bring light snow  to the area Tuesday night into Wednesday morning prior to a weak ridge forming for Wednesday afternoon. Guesstimates: 3-5 cm by Sunday morning, 3-5 cm by Monday morning, 3-5 cm by Tuesday morning.

    Satellite image from Yesterday morning around 10:00 hrs, trough was moving in with some cloud.

    Flow for today. Some cloud will likely enter the area this afternoon.

   Light snow fall from Saturday evening into Monday afternoon.

   Flow will bring unsettled conditions for Tuesday.




VIDEO FRIDAY'S:

Marc McMorris wins gold in Mens Snowboard Slope Style: X Games 2015

Freeride World Tour 2015: The Best of Chamonix

Stability test on persistent facets on a melt freeze crust: Flathead Avalanche Center, Montana

Gigi Ruf caught in an avalanche: Alaska

Snowmobile caught in a small slab: Kootney Country

Coast Mountain Backcountry Report; Jan 28, 2015: Escape Route



ARTICLES:

Rock avalanche on the Hurley Road: I Survived the Hurley

Avalanches--5 caught near Verbier, 1 fatality: Switzerland

Strongly Sluffed and a Smack in the Ear: Jack Geldard Blog

Jaspers Avalanche crews battle 'Pineapple Express': Parks Canada

Vancouver Ski Resorts struggling with snow scarcity: Shanghai.Daily

    Whistler Bowl and West Bowl on Whistler Mountain. Firm conditions at this time. Is it late for Uller?

    Ice on Alta Lake is probably softer.

    Good day for a game of shinny.

    Its been busy at the clinic for the past few days with the hard conditions.