February 23, 2021

     YESTERDAY:

      Early Monday morning.

      Nice snow mid mountain.

      Soft pinwheels just below 1500 meters.

      They were actually soft if you skied through them.

     There were some patches of blue in the am.

      Monday Feb 22, 2021. 14:00 Hrs. -5 with a 15-25 KPH East wind. +4 in the valley.

     Satellite image from same timeframe as above image.

Weather Observations for February 23, 2021 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters    -12, Winds were   0-10 KPH SE--Horstman Hut

2180 meters    -12, Winds were 30-35 KPH SW--Whistler Peak
1860 meters    -10, Winds were 15-20 KPH ESE --Rendezvous 

1835 meters      -9, Winds were  20-40 KPH S--Round House

1650 meters      -8, 1 cm in 12 Hrs, 2 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 252 cm --Pig Alley
1570 meters      -8, 1 cm in 12 Hrs, 2 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 187 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters      -2, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +5.8, 5.8 mm of precip yesterday.

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

FORECAST:

A weak upper trough will bring unsettled weather for today in a Westerly flow aloft. Will see some flurries this morning with a mix of sun and cloud later this am into the afternoon. The FL will likely hover around surface, chance it might go to 800 meters but back to surface tonight. Weak ridging overnight into Wednesday morning, unsettled weather by the am into the afternoon on Wednesday. Increasing cloud cover Wednesday afternoon as the next frontal band brings light snow Wednesday night into Thursday. Periods of light snow will continue Thursday with unsettled weather by the afternoon. Flurries and a mix of sun and cloud. Unsettled Friday with sunnier weather by Saturday. Guesstimates: trace-2 cm by Wednesday am, 10-15 cm by Thursday am, 2-4 cm by Friday am, trace-1 cm by Saturday am.

      GOES IR image from this am.

      Upper trough for today with unsettled weather, the FL will hover around surface.

     Westerly flow aloft.

        Ridge tries to build on Wednesday. Cooler temps.

         Powder for Thursday.

      AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

      An avalanche has killed a ski tourer on closed Les 2 Alpes ski run. Article below.           Net Pic

      Snoqualmie Pass reopened after avalanche control. Washington State. Article below.       Net Pic

      Recent avalanche activity at Hanging Lake, MIN report below.                     Maria Masier Pic

      Boomer Bowl Monday am. Sz 1-2                                                                    MC Photo

     Avalanche mitigation on Whistler produced Sz 1-2, 1 Sz 2.5 strom slabs. Xe.

     Numerous results on Whistler.

     Bomb hole on Lakeside Traverse.

      Avalanche mitigation on Blackcomb produced Sz 1-1.5 soft slabs Sc Xe Xt Xl.

From Sea to Sky avalanche advisory:

Avalanche Summary

Sunday night's storm resulted in a natural avalanche cycle, with storm slabs up to size 2.5 on wind loaded features. Explosive control on Monday produced several size 2 avalanches (roughly 50 cm thick). On Sunday, during the early stages of the storm, there were several reports of size 1-1.5 human triggered storm slab avalanches (10-25 cm thick). Looking forward, strong wind has likely left reactive slabs at upper elevations.

Snowpack Summary

The weekend's storm delivered 30 cm to the Whistler area and up to 60 cm in deeper areas further west and south. Alpine terrain is likely heavily wind-affected, while a rain crust will form below 1300 m. This snow buried a layer of surface hoar and crusts, but the snow is expected to bond quickly to these layers. The lower snowpack has become strong and bonded.

      INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

     Lots of rime yesterday am.

     Unsettled yesterday with power flurries.

      There were sunny periods in the mix.

FROM SEA TO SKY MIN REPORTS:

Round Mountain: Feb 22, 2021

Hanging Lake-CallaTree: Feb 22, 2021

VIDEOS:

Powder Picker Feb 22, 2021: David Jones

ARTICLES:

An avalanche has killed a snowmobiler near Chetywnd: Northern B.C.

A ski tourer has died in an avalanche on closed Les 2 Alpes Ski Piste: France

Avalanche closes road to wharf at Bella Coola: Coast Mtn News

Passes opened after avalanche control on Snoqualmie, White Passes: Washington State

Avalanche survivors promoting safety to others heading into the backcountry: Alberta Skiers

      Submit your best avalanche photo for a pair of  Goggles Feb 1-28, 2021. Sea to Sky Area.

                                                    Thanks to Volkl Canada for sponsoring.