February 9, 2018

    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    Sz 1-2 Xe yesterday morning.

    Slabs were in isolated areas yesterday.

    In the corridor, we had mostly Sz 1-1.5. A few Sz 2. Xc, Xe, Na, Sr, Vr, Vc.


    YESTERDAY:

    Mostly cloudy yesterday morning.

    Some nice light in the morning.

    Snow was nice at the top 200 meters.

    Kokanne Series Race on Blackcomb.

    Mount Fee Yesterday morning.

    There were some nice sunny breaks, with convective clouds.

    Rainbow Mountain.

    Sunset Thursday evening.

    Thursday afternoon.

    Big picture Thursday.



Weather Observations for February , 2018  taken at 06:00 Hours.

2180 meters     -6, Winds were 10-25 KPH SW--Whistler Peak
1835 meters     -8, Winds were   5-10 KPH NE --Roundhouse
1660 meters     -8, 1 cm of new, 1 cm in 24 hrs,  Base 284 cm --Pig Alley

  660 meters     -4, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +8.2, 6.6 mm of precip recorded yest

   As of 07:00 Hrs we have broken cloud and unlimited visibility.

FORECAST:

A weak upper ridge in a Northerly flow aloft will bring cool temperatures to the area today. Some cloud this morning, disipating early in the morning with sunny conditions for the day.
Saturday is looking just a bit warmer with a mix of sun and cloud. A weak short wave trough will push through Saturday night into Sunday morning with periods of very light snow and the FL rising to around 1000 meters Saturday afternoon. Sunday is looking unsettled with frequent sunny breaks in the afternoon. High rebuilds for Monday with sunny skies. Tuesday is unsettled with another impulse of light snow later in the day.
Guesstimates: 0 cm by Saturday morning, 1-2 cm by Sunday morning, 2-4 cm by Monday morning, 0 cm by Tuesday morning, 4-8 cm by Wednesday morning.

    GOES IR image for this am.

    Cooler temperatures as the arctic front pushes closer.

    High will dominate today.

    Cold and dry with the arctic front.

    That is a large high on the coast.

    Looking clear for Saturday morning. Unsettled by the afternoon.


    OBSERVATIONS & INFORMATION:

    Melt freeze mid mountain.

    Some very cool snow surfaces yesterday.

    Saw my shadow yesterday, is spring here?

    Delicate formations in a harsh environment.

    Visibility at 2240 meters was challenging at times.

    Lots of debris in the bowls, luckily the visibility should be nice in the next few days.

    Incredible rimeing in the last few days.

    Where did the trees go!!

    Breakable crust on some aspects below 1900 meters.

    Broken cloud Thursday afternoon.

    Blackcomb Peak.

    Unsettled Thursday afternoon.


RECENT AVALANCHE CANADA MIN REPORTS:

Musical Bumps

Spearhead Glacier & Husume

VIDEO FRIDAY:

Large Avalanche: Lionel-Crinou Urech

Red Mountain Ski Patrol: Behind the Scene

Avalanche Rescue Dogs: You Tube

Free Ride World Tour: Logan Pehota

Snow cat triggered slide: Montana


ARTICLES:

Avalanche Hazard in B.C. closes highways and sets off Special Warning: CTV News

Special Public Avalanche Warning (SPAW) in effect for BC Interior: Avalanche Canada

Trans-Canada Hwy closed between Revelstoke & Golden: Avalanche Hazard

Utah snowmobiler survives being buried in an avalanche near Pinedale: Wyoming

Be prepared, pay attention while in th backcountry: Montana

A new snow safety brand: Advenate

February 8, 2018

    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    Locally, A few Sz 1-1.5 Sc Sa including the Duffey, some moist snowballing above & below TL.


    YESTERDAY:

    Snow line yesterday morning was at 1200 meters.

    Some fresh snow above 1200 meters.

    Periodic snow at 1860 meters yesterday.

    There were also some thin cloud in the area at times.

         Snowing at 1860 Meters on Wednesday. It was wet snow!!

    Its way too early for spring!!

     Raining in the valley at 17:00 Hrs. + 4 Deg C.

    Wednesday afternoon.

    Big picture Wednesday afternoon.

 
Weather Observations for February 8, 2018  taken at 06:00 Hours.

2180 meters     -3, Winds were 50-60 KPH SE   --Whistler Peak
1835 meters     -1, Winds were 25-50 KPH SSW--Roundhouse
1660 meters      0, 2 cm of new, 2 cm in 24 hrs  Base 287 cm --Pig Alley

  660 meters    +5, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +0.8, 0.2 mm of precip recorded yest

    As of 07:00 hrs this am we have broken cloud and unlimited visibility.

FORECAST:

A weak frontal band and associated low will leave the area this am with some lingering flurries and a drying trend. A Northwest flow aloft will gradually bring some cooler air into the area with the FL dropping to surface by tonight. For today we can expect some breaks in the morning with some intermittent snow flurries. Unsettled for most of the day with increasing breaks this afternoon. The arctic front will bring some cooler temperatures to the area Friday, some lingering cloud likely in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. This pattern will continue into next week with a mix of sun and cloud. The FL will remain near the surface Friday then bounce up and down over the weekend with it dropping to surface in the evenings and hovering at around 1200 meters with day time heating.
Guesstimates: Trace-1 cm for today, no snow after that until sometime next week depending how the high and arctic front react. Models are not agreeing with respect to next week. Standby.

Maximum gust at 2240 meters was at 22:45 yesterday, 170 KPH. At 2180 meters it was at 12:45 today, 148 KPH.

    GOES IR Image this am, Low has moved to the Southeast.

    Arctic front will be more of the influencer today and tomorrow.

    Possible flurries this am with breaks later this morning.

    Unsettled for today.

  Fronts along the coast.

    Sunny and cold Friday.


    OBSERVATIONS & INFORMATION:

    Short lived breaks Wednesday morning.

    Tree line cornice development.

    Some melt freeze in the cornices at 1900 meters.

    Visibility in the alpine was difficult, -2-- 65-130 KPH yesterday afternoon at 2260 meters.

    Some lifts were closed yesterday with the strong winds.

    Flurries in the afternoon.

    Still working on opening the Horstman T Bar.

   A new candidate for the CARDA program with an experienced dedicated trainer!!

    Yestrday just after noon, looks like lots of snow for the interior.


ARTICLES:

Complex snow pack with the potential for remotely-triggered avalanches: Mountain Sledder

Hwy 16 closed in both directions from Terrace to Prince Rupert: Avalanche Closure

Should you use an avalung?: Powder

Closed for avalanche control: Highway 1

New MSU study asking why people take risks with avalanches: Montana