February 2, 2023

      AVALANCHE ACTIVITY: 

      An avalanche has killed two skiers on Afarat Peak, Kashmir. Article below.  

      No avalanche control on Blackcomb Wednesday am, Some soft slabs, Sz 0.5 Sa.

     No  avalanche control on Whistler.  Some Sz 1 Na & Sc windslabs. 

      WEATHER YESTERDAY:

      Sunrise was at 07:46 Hrs Wednesday. -6 Deg C with a 15-35 KPH South wind at 1835 m.

      10:00 Hrs -5 Deg C with a 15-30 KPH South wind at 1860 m.

     Wednesday February 1, 2023. 12:00 Hrs. -4 Deg C with a 15-30 KPH SE wind at 1835 m.

     14:00 Hrs. -2 Deg C with a 10-20 KPH South wind at 1860 m.

     16:00 Hrs. -5 Deg C with a 5-15 KPH SE wind at 1835 m.

Weather Observations for February 2, 2023 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2280 meters     -7, Winds were 45-60 KPH S--Horstman Hut

2180 meters     -8, Winds were 45-50 KPH ESE--Whistler Peak

1860 meters     -4, Winds were 20-35 KPH S--Rendezvous  

1835 meters     -4, Winds were 15-30 KPH ESE--Round House

1650 meters     -4, trace in 12 Hrs, 1 cm in 24 Hrs. Base 185 cm--Pig Alley

1570 meters     -6, trace in 12 Hrs, 1 cm in 24 Hrs. Base 121 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters     -4, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +1, 3.3 mm of precip yesterday. 

       As of 06:00 Hrs this am we have a trace of new snow, 1 in 24 Hrs. Base 185 cm.

      As of 07:00 Hrs we have a broken cloud, with unlimited visibility.

FORECAST:

A weakening dirty upper ridge will bring an overcast day in a Southwesterly flow aloft. The FL is below surface and should warm up slightly to around 1000 m.Some sunny breaks this am. Next front arrives around midnight with light precipitation, dries out briefly early Friday am , with the next impulse arriving around 08:00 Hrs. Windy with light/moderate precipitation through the day. Front continues into Saturday with precipitation rates easing to light by early Saturday am. Stronger impulse of precipitation arrives Saturday evening into Sunday am. Periods of light precipitation for Sunday, dries out for most of the daylight hours with mostly overcast skies and some flurries. Stronger impulse arrives for Monday with light/moderate precipitation and strong winds. Will likely see a break Tuesday am, before another impulse of light/moderate precipitation for Tuesday. A carousel of frontal bands!! Guesstimates: 1-2 cm by Friday am, 22-26 cm by Saturday am, 14-18 cm by Sunday am,  2-6 cm by Monday am, 30-40 cm by Tuesday am, 20-30 cm by Wednesday am.

      GOES IR IMAGE from this am.

      WINDY IMAGE 2023/02/02. 05:00 Hrs. Very active zonal flow.

     Winter is coming.

       Weakening upper ridge will allow cloud to spill in, mostly overcast. Slightly warmer.

      Dry today with the chance of some intermittent scattered flurries. Overcast.

      Southwesterly flow aloft.

       A vigorous frontal band arrives early Friday morning. Wet and windy. Above average temps.

      Low will bring a moist day Friday. Light/moderate precipitation.

      Low will send frontal bans our way Saturday. Southerly flow. Above average temperatures.

      Light/moderate precipitation Saturday.

       Weak upper trough will bring precip early Sunday am, dries out pm, impulse Sunday night.

      Periods of light precipitation Sunday. Overcast in the pm. Snow moon will be producing.

     More snow Monday.

      More precipitation for Monday.

      Unsettled Tuesday with a mix of some sunny breaks in the am, periods of snow.

     Fronts keep coming into mid week.

      INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

      09:30 Hrs. Snowing lightly. 

      This image from same timeline as above.

      Snow line down to the valley.

      Formed by the North Winds.

      Heading up to the East Col.

     Watch for old cornice and avalanche debris.

      No fun walking back up for your gear.

      Pockets of wind transported  snow in the rocks.

     Cloudy but dry in the pm.

     16:15 hrs. Interesting middle layer. Reverse Oreo.

FROM AVALANCHE CANADA: 

Travel and Terrain Advice

If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.

Although their spatial distribution is isolated, wind slabs are reactive.

Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.

MODERATE--Sea to Sky Advisory available top right sidebar.

LOCAL MIN REPORTS:

Circle Lake-Blackcomb: Feb 1, 2023

SHORT CLIPS:

Big Air: Deep Slab

Ouch: No Injuries

Avalanche Surfing: Very Lucky

Too Steep for an unload: Snowmobile Fails

Stiff Slabs: AvyBites

ARTICLES: 

Kashmir Avalanche kills 2 polish skiers, 21 people rescued: Northern India

Two killed, four rescued after Gulmarg avalanche: Kashmir

A Powder day can be Deadly--Even in Bounds! Here's how to stay safe: Outside

Utah skier shares story of surviving an avalanche: Flagstaff

As backcountry skiing grows more popular, accidents grow more common: Tokyo

      If you enjoy the content and find it useful, please hit the donate button, top right on side bar.

Send me recent avalanche images. E-Mail top right of the side bar. Read Below:

Goggle contest returning again this year, win a pair of Marker goggles for the best avalanche image for the months of November-January, February-March,April-May.  Grand prize best image of the  season will be a Pair of Prior Skis or a Split Board awarded at the end of May. 

February 1, 2023

       AVALANCHE ACTIVITY: 

     Two women missing for 6 days found deceased in avalanche debris. Valais FR. Article Below 

        Sz 3 Sa Taylor Mountain, WY. Click > TSAR Report                                        TSAR Image

      Sz 3 Likely Na. Sumit Creek, Yukon. 2023/01/29. Click> MIN Report.     James Mimifie Image

      Sz 1 Sc on Whistler 2023/01/31. Limited visibility.

      No new avalanche observed on Blackcomb.

      WEATHER YESTERDAY:

      08:00 Hrs. -8 Deg C with a 25-35 KPH SSW wind at 1860 m.

      10:00 Hrs. Obscured sky. -8 Deg C with a 30-40 KPH SSW wind at 2280 m.

      Tuesday January 31, 2023. 12:00 Hrs. -7 DEg C wit a 15-40 KPH South wind at 1835 m.

     14:00 Hrs. -5 Deg C with a 10-35 KPH SE wind at 1860 m.

     16:00 Hrs. -7 Deg C with a 10-25 KPH SE wind at 1860 m.

Weather Observations for February 1, 2023 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2280 meters     -9, Winds were 30-45 KPH S--Horstman Hut

2180 meters     -9, Winds were 25-35 KPH SSW--Whistler Peak

1860 meters     -6, Winds were 15-25 KPH SE--Rendezvous  

1835 meters     -6, Winds were 15-30 KPH S--Round House

1650 meters     -6, 3 cm in 12 Hrs, 4 cm in 24 Hrs. Base 185 cm--Pig Alley

1570 meters     -6, 3 cm in 12 Hrs, 4 cm in 24 Hrs. Base 121 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters     -4, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was -1.6, 0.6 mm of precip yesterday.

      As of 06:00 Hrs this am we have  3cm of new snow. 1.5 mm in the precip gauge. Base 185 cm.

      As of 07:00 Hrs this am we have overcast skies, variable visibility and it is snowing lightly.

FORECAST:

A weak warm front will bring periods of light precipitation this am in a Westerly flow aloft. Dries out with some weak ridging before noon. May see some afternoon flurries. Mostly overcast for today, the FL is below surface and should remain around surface for the day (maybe 900 m).  Dry overcast weather continues into Thursday, may see some sunny breaks, with a frontal band arriving Thursday pm with periods of light precipitation and strong winds. Impulse continues into early Friday am. Briefly dries out in the am with the next more vigorous front arriving around noon on Friday. Strong winds and light to moderate precipitation continues into Saturday. Frontal band continues into Sunday am. Dries out Sunday afternoon with lingering flurries. Another frontal band arrives early Monday am. A lull Tuesday am with some sunny breaks before another front arrives with light to moderate precipitation and seasonable temperatures. Looks like we are getting a taste of winter. Guesstimates: 1-4 cm by Thursday am, 2-6 cm by Friday am, 18-24 cm by Saturday am, 12-18 cm by Sunday am, 4-8 cm by Monday am, 15-20 cm by Tuesday am.

      GOES IR. IMAGE from this am.

       WINDY IMAGE 2023/02/01. 05:00 Hrs.

       Series of frontal bands approaching into the weekend.

      Weak warm front Wednesday with periods of light precipitation. Seasonable temperatures.

      Weak frontal band with periods of light precipitation this am, dries out in the pm.

      Westerly flow aloft.

Low continues to send cloud, weak upper ridging Thursday am, frontal band arrives in the pm.

      Dry in the am, frontal band arrives in the pm with periods of light precipitation.

         Weak front pushes through early Friday am, another impulse arrives around noon.

      Low will bring periods of light/moderate precipitation on Friday.

       Low will continue to send precipitation Saturday. above average temperatures.

      Light to moderate precipitation Saturday.

      European Model has precipitation for Saturday.

      Periods of light precipitation, dries out Sunday pm.

      Periods of light/moderate precipitation Monday.

      INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

      Snowing lightly at 660 m Tuesday 08:00 Hrs. Short lived.

      Multiple cloud layers with some sunny breaks in the am.

      Obscured visibility at 2280 m in the am. There were some breaks. Better at tree line.

      Mount Cayley framed by cloud.

      Cloud layers moved around all am. Looking North.

     Some very thick stratus layers.

       As of 14:00 Hrs Tuesday at 1650 m we received 1 cm of new snow, Base 183 cm.

      As of 14:30 Hrs.at 1570 m we received 1 cm of new snow. base 119 cm.

     Short lived flurries started back up at 15:00 Hrs.

      Looking North at 15:00 Hrs.

      Looking West 16:00 Hrs.

FROM AVALANCHE CANADA:

Travel and Terrain Advice

Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.

Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.

MODERATE--Sea to Sky Advisory available top right of sidebar.

 

LOCAL MIN REPORTS:

Sky Pilot: Jan 31, 2023

SHORT CLIPS:

Wide Slab: Sucked In

Big Air: Soft landing

Strong Winds: Scary Moment

Using Boost: Polaris

Wind & storm slabs: AvyBites

ARTICLES:

Two women missing for 6 days found in avalanche debris near Valais: France

Deadly risks lie beneath beauty of backcountry skiing areas: Japan

Austrian Free skier and filmmaker the other casualty in Nagano: Japan

Massive avalanche 60 km from Joshimath, glacial burst; Northern India

How tragedy prompted Canada to be a leader in avalanche safety: The Tyee

                     WINNER OF THE MARKER GOGGLES FOR NOV-FEB IS JAMIE MAY.

                     BELOW ARE TWO IMAGES HE SUBMITTED BACK ON NOV 28, 2022.

            BEFORE- Above Circle Lake. 4 ski tourers on slope.                                          Jamie May Pic

              AFTER- Sz 2 Sa. No Injuries. Lucky.                                                  Jamie May Pic

      If you enjoy the content and find it useful, please hit the donate button, top right on side bar.

Send me recent avalanche images. E-Mail top right of the side bar. Read Below:

Goggle contest returning again this year, win a pair of Marker goggles for the best avalanche image for the months of November-January, February-March, April-May. Grand prize best image of the season will be a Pair of Prior Skis or a Split Board awarded at the end of May.