February 22, 2020

    YESTERDAY:

    Sunrise was at 07:12 Hours on Friday.

    Clouds to our South early Friday morning.

    Cloudier as the day progressed.

    Ideal Peak to Valley conditions.

    Top pitch of the Saddle.

    Friday February 21, 2020. 16:00 hrs.

    Image taken around same time frame as above.

    Satellite image from 15:45 Hrs.

   There were lots of cool clouds on Saturday.

    Early Afternoon.

Weather Observations for February 22, 2020 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -7, Winds were 45-60 KPH SE--Horstman Hut

2180 meters    -7, Winds were 35-50 KPH SE--Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -5, Winds were 15-25 KPH S --Rendezvous 

1835 meters    -5, Winds were 20-35 KPH S--Round House

1650 meters    -3, 11 cm in 12 Hrs, 11 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 248 cm --Pig Alley
1560 meters .  -4, 10 cm in 12 Hrs, 10 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 170 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters     0, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +6.9, 0.2 mm of precip yesterday.

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

FORECAST:

Unsettled weather for today as a weak front passes through this morning, with weak ridging in its wake. Westerly flow aloft with the freezing level hovering in the 1200 meter range. Stronger frontal band arriving tonight with steady light precipitation into Sunday night. Lingering flurries possible Monday morning with unsettled weather expected for Monday. Looking mostly unsettled for next week with a system moving in on Friday. Guesstimates: 4-8 cm by Sunday morning, 12-16 cm by Monday morning, trace-2 cm by Tuesday morning.

    GOES IR image from this am.

     Weak trough being pushed out by weak high, unsettled for today.

    Fronts along the coast.

     Low will bring more snow for Sunday.

     High begins to push back into the area, unsettled with a mix of sun and cloud on Monday.

            AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

             Sz 4, Whistlers Peak near Jasper. Article below. Remotely triggered by a skier.

    No new avalanche activity observed on Whistler or Blackcomb yesterday.

     INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

    Heading to Tower 4. Blue Sky in the early am.

    Nice light in the morning.

    Mount Garibaldi.

    Saturday Peak to Valley--166 gates, 136 Competitors, fastest time -Jack Crawford 4.53.62

    Clinic is busy!!

    Avalanche Awareness Days February 21-22, 2020. Come to the avalanche hut this weekend.

AVALANCHE CANADA MIN REPORTS:

All quiet in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

VIDEOS:

Whistler weather with meteorologist: David Jones

Moose is loose: Fast Moose

ARTICLES:

Sz 4 avalanche,  Whistlers Peak in Jasper National Park: Parks Mountain Safety

Avalanche Awareness Days February 22-23, 2020: Avalanche Hut

Why you should have an avalanche safety course and what to expect: BurtonBlog

Avalanche victims lacked location devices: Norway

Ladies-Introduction to the backcountry: ColdSmoke

Beware of parking in avalanche prone areas: Colorado

Ski Resorts under fire for flying in snow by helicopter: France

February 21, 2020

    YESTERDAY:

    Yet another amazing day in Whistler Thursday morning.

    Good turns to be had on the cold wind skin.

     Kees & Claire Hut.

    Busy place in the backcountry.

    Thursday just after noon.

    Big picture Thursday afternoon.

    Sun was a shining!!

    Late in the day looking at the Weekend Chutes.

    Thursday night, clear and cold. -6.4 Deg C as of 19:00 Hrs with a 35-40 SE wind.

Weather Observations for February 21, 2020 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -6, Winds were 45-60 KPH S--Horstman Hut

2180 meters    -7, Winds were 45-60 KPH S--Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -4, Winds were 20-30 KPH ESE --Rendezvous 

1835 meters    -3, Winds were 20-50 KPH ESE--Round House

1650 meters    -1, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 238 cm --Pig Alley
1560 meters .  -2, 0 cm in 12 Hrs, 0 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 162 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters    -5, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +7.6, 0.0 mm of precip yesterday.

    As of 07:00 Hrs this am we have high scattered cloud and unlimited visibility.

FORECAST:

A weak cold front is moving down the coast in a Westerly flow aloft. Broken cloud this morning with increasing cloud cover giving way to light precipitation this evening into Saturday morning. The freezing level will rise to around 1300 meters, dropping back to 1000 meters overnight. Hoping for a break in the front Saturday afternoon with some light flurries and a glimpse at the sun. Another front arrives early Sunday morning with more light precipitation and slightly cooler temperatures. As of now Monday could see some weak ridging associated with weak troughing as well (unsettled).
Guesstimates: 4-8 cm by Saturday morning, 3-6 cm by Sunday morning, 8-12 cm by Monday morning.

    GOES IR Image from this am.

Weak cold front sliding down the coast for today, light snow

    Fronts along the coast.

     Weak font for Saturday with some mid day breaks.

     Weak front on Sunday from the low to the North.

    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    Two German Tourists have been killed in an avalanche in Norway. Article below.       Net Pic

    Sz 3 to ground Moomin Peak. MIN report below.                                              Artem Bylinskii Pic

    Avalanche Control in Tien Sham Mountains--Kazakhstan. A little close!! Ear Protection??!!

    Old wet loose on Wedge.

    Point releases Thursday.

    Old debris at the bottom of Wedge.

    INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

    There is some gnarly terrain in our corridor.

    An objective but not great turns!!

    Wind skin but nice faceted snow.

    That is a lot of backcountry turns!!

    Happy Birthday!!

    Wind was moving the snow around.

    Wind affected but nice snow!!

    Wind lines.

    Seracs. Looks like good Scotch Ice!!

AVALANCHE CANADA MIN REPORTS:

Sz 3 to ground below Moomin Peak: Feb 17, 2020

Vista Bowl: Feb 19, 2020

Surface Hoar & Faceting: Feb 19, 2020

VIDEOS:

Whistler weather with meteorologist: David Jones

Avoiding an avalanche: Utah

A day in the life as a Ski Patroller: Alta, Utah

Avalanche Footage: Manang, Nepal

ARTICLES:

Two german Tourists have been killed in a Norwegian Avalanche: Snowmobile Tour

Day 5--Rescue operations continue to recover student buried in a snow avalanche: Kashmir

Road closed to traffic 'due to high avalanche hazard': Juneau