January 7, 2020

    YESTERDAY:

    Awsome Monday morning, light snow fall and powder!!

    Skiing was really nice.

    Boarding was too!!

    A brief break in the afternoon.

    Monday January 6, 2020. 16:00 Hrs. -1.4 Deg C with a WSW 20-45 KPH Wind. Snowing lightly.

Weather Observations for January 7, 2020 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters      -3, Winds were 65-90 KPH NNE--Horstman Hut

2180 meters      -2, Winds were 50-65 KPH S--Whistler Peak
1860 meters      -1, Winds were 25-45 KPH SE --Rendevous 

1835 meters      -1, Winds were 10-30 KPH ESE--Round House

1650 meters       0, 15 cm in 12 Hrs, 21 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 175 cm --Pig Alley
1560 meters .    -2, 15 cm in 12 Hrs, 20 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 114 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters      -1, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was 0.0, 6.0 mm of precip yesterday.

    As of 07:00 Hrs this am we have obscured skies, limited visibility and it is snowing +3 cm/hr.

FORECAST:

A low and associated warm front will push through today in a Southwesterly flow aloft. Trailing cold front will move through later today in a Westerly flow aloft with strong winds. The freezing level should rise to 1700 meters (might stay at 1500, fingers crossed) today dropping back down to surface on Wednesday, a weak trough pushes through Wednesday with mostly cloudy skies, some ridging for Thursday with another frontal band arriving Thursday night into Friday. Long term, looking like it may dry out for the weekend with cold arctic air moving in from the Northeast. Guesstimates: 25-40 cm by Wednesday morning, Trace-2 cm by Thursday morning, trace-1 cm by Friday morning, 15-20 cm by Saturday morning.

    GOES IR image from this am.

    Low and associated warm front followed by a cold front for today.

    Fronts along the coast.

    Low migrates East, weak trough for Wed. Arctic High on our doorstep. Cooler temperatures.

        Colder and unsettled for Thursday. Arctic high influencing the weather pattern.





    AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

    An avalanche near Gadauri Ski Resort has killed a skier: Article Below.                              Net Pic

    Avalanche control on Whistler produced some Sz 2 with Xe, Sc. Monday.

    Soft slab avalanches on Monday. On Blackcomb some Sz 1.5-2 Xe.
     

    New snow releases.

    Debris in Ruby Bowl from Xe in Spankys Chute (Tiger Eye) Sz 2



     INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

    Spanky's ladder is Ski Area Boundary.

    Hard to see the sign with so many bodies.

    Glacial Ice Horstman Glacier.

    Good day for practising your tricks.

    Nice snow in Low Test.

    Bushrat is no longer Boundary.

         
From Mitch Sulkers:
January 5, 2020

Variability continues to be the name of the game in the Whistler area. Snow depths vary from 150-300cm depending on aspect at 2100m.

Winds in the alpine and ridgetops have remained at extreme for over 35 straight hours as of this morning, with northern exposures below ridgecrests heavily loaded.

There are at least five layers of concern in the snowpack, with the 191123 facet/crust combo being the deepest. A primary concern is that any one of the suspect layers triggered closer to the surface could trigger this deeper instability.

At surface, stormslabs and windslabs can be found in any areas that are wind-affected, including open areas below treeline. Cornices are also growing and may be triggered remotely.

Skied NW, W, and SW aspects from 2100-1760m today. Tight trees skied the best, with loose dry sluffs occuring even on some lower 30 degree slopes.

Trailbreaking was reasonable, with ski penetration from 25-50cm, depending on aspect and elevation.

With all the variability and lack of observations, it's worth being very careful in one's approach to even simple avalance terrain.

   Traverse out of Lower Disease Ridge                                                                                          Mitch Sulkers Image

From Avalanche Canada MIN Reports:

Steep Creek: Jan 5, 2020

Paul Ridge: Jan 5, 2020

Round Mountain: Jan 6, 2020



VIDEOS:

Whistler Weather with Meteorologist: David Jones

Dog Triggered Avalanche: Avalanche Guys

Report on avalanche that killed a snowmobiler in Montana: Jan 2, 2020



ARTICLES:

Russian Tourist dies in Gadauri Ski Resort: Georgia

After an avalanche in Oberallgau, social media reported ski tourer ok: Germany

37 Year Old man dies in deep snow in Alta, Utah: Snow Immersion Death?

Stephens Pass shut down after heavy snow downs trees: Washington State

Keeping avalanche awareness at the forefront: Crag & Canyon

Winter storm warning: Whistler