YESTERDAY:
Why wait when there are lots of turns to be had.
2240 meters -9, Winds were 70-100 KPH SE--Horstman Hut
1860 meters -6, Winds were 20-50 KPH S --Rendezvous
1560 meters -4, 15 cm in 12 Hrs, 16 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 175 cm--Catskinner (21.7 mm)
FORECAST:
Upper trough exiting the area this morning with lingering showers in a North Westerly flow aloft. A weak ridge begins to build this afternoon with unsettled weather. The FL will drop back down to surface sometime this am. Mostly cloudy Thursday morning with some sunny breaks in the afternoon with warm air moving in from the high pressure to our South. A short wave trough may push through Thursday night into early Friday morning with some light precip, short lived with unsettled weather by Friday morning and ridge rebuilding by the afternoon with a mix of sun and cloud. Dry but overcast on Saturday. Guesstimates: 1-3 cm by Thursday am, 2-4 cm by Friday am, 2-6 cm by Saturday am.
AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:
4 people have been killed after avalanche buries their vehicle, Pakistan. Article below. Net PicFrom the Sea to Sky Avalanche Bulletin:
Avalanche Summary
On Tuesday there were no new avalanche reports at the time of publishing.
On Monday reports from avalanche control using explosives saw up to size 2 slab avalanches on slopes below cornice failures.
Natural avalanche activity is expected to continue on Wednesday.
A large (size 3) avalanche was remotely triggered by skiers on Cowboy Ridge near Whistler on Saturday. The avalanche occurred on a north to northwest aspect at around 1900 m. The crown ranged reached up to 200 cm and was approximately 200 m wide. Check out this MIN for photos and more information. A similar avalanche was remotely triggered by skiers on a nearby westerly slope on Thursday; check out this MIN for more info and photos.
These avalanches are clear evidence that the weak layers described in the Snowpack Summary are still triggerable by riders and the consequence of being caught would be high.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 40 cm of new snow blanketed the region by mid-day Tuesday with more in the forecast by Wednesday morning. New and reactive storm and wind slabs will exist. Below treeline the upper snowpack may see a firm crust as freezing levels drop.
The snowpack is currently quite complex. The recent storm snow just buried yet another surface hoar layer down around 30-40 cm in the sheltered treeline and below treeline locations. Deeper in the snowpack numerous layers of surface hoar may be found down 100 to 200 cm. This is the depth of the greatest concern, where surface hoar or sugary faceted grains may sit above a hard melt-freeze crust from early December. Last weekend, several large natural and human-triggered avalanches on this layer occurred, with the hot spots being around Whistler and Pemberton.
Near the base of the snowpack, there may be faceted grains above a crust from early-November, which was identified as the failure layer in recent sporadic large avalanche releases.
INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:
Rain runnels Tuesday am at lower elevations.LOCAL AVALANCHE CANADA MIN REPORTS:
No new MIN reports as of 07:00 Hrs.
VIDEOS:
Caught in a Colorado Avalanche: Jan 8, 2021
Powder Picker, Jan 12, 2021: David Jones
ARTICLES:
4 Killed when vehicle was buried in an avalanche: Pakistan
An honest account of a Revelstoke Avalanche: Powder Canada
Warning of a high danger rating in several B.C. Locations: Avalanche Canada
Vermont defends decision to vaccinate Ski Patrol: Front Line Workers
Why the pandemic and a weak snowpack mean you need to be on your 'A Game': Colorado
Snowboarder caught in an avalanche near Loveland Pass: Colorado
Atmospheric river brings Rain, Snow, Flooding & Landslides: Washington State
Avalanche Warning: North Cascades
We expect many avalanches today: Sweden
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