March 7, 2021

     YESTERDAY:

      Sunrise Saturday was at 06:44 Hrs. -5 with a 15-35 KPH SE wind.

      Snowline came down to the valley early Saturday am.

      There were some breaks in the am.

      Epic conditions Saturday.

     Nice snow below Lakeside Traverse.

      Air time in Blackcomb Bowl.

      Nice turns down Sudan Couloir.

     Harmony chair from across the valley.

      Excellent turns off Peak Chair.

      Deep in Monday's.

      Saturday March 6, 2021. 14:00 Hrs. -4 with a 10-25 KPH ESE wind. +4 in the valley.

      Satellite image from same timeframe as above.

      Different perspective.

Weather Observations for March 7, 2021 taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters      -9, Winds were  40-60 KPH S --Horstman Hut

2180 meters      -8, Winds were 75-95 KPH ENE--Whistler Peak
1860 meters      -7, Winds were   5-15 KPH SSW --Rendezvous 

1835 meters      -7, Winds were 20-50 KPH E--Round House

1650 meters      -5,  9 cm in 12 Hrs, 12 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 289 cm --Pig Alley
1570 meters      -5,  5 cm in 12 Hrs,   6 cm in 24 Hrs, Base 213 cm--Catskinner

  660 meters       0, Valley Temp, Max temp Yesterday was +4.1, 3.1 mm of precip yesterday.    

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

FORECAST:

An offshore cold low will send a weak cold front into the Whistler area in a Southerly flow aloft. We can expect periods of light snow with mostly overcast conditions with a few breaks. Looking like unsettled conditions later in the afternoon with the FL rising to around 800 meters. The low drifts to the South on Monday ushering in a dry week with unsettled weather for Monday morning with sunny skies expected for Monday afternoon. Unfortunately we are going to go into next week with no or very little precipitation. Weak ridging will bring another unsettled day on Tuesday with a mix of sun and cloud. Ridge strengthens on Wednesday with sunny skies. Guesstimates: 5-10 cm by Monday am. 0 cm until next Monday? Time will tell.

      GOES IR image from this am.

       A cold front will bring light snow for today with seasonal temps.

      Southerly flow aloft.

        Low and high combine for unsettled weather for Monday, sunny in the afternoon.

       Low close enough to send some cloud our way on Tuesday with seasonal temps.

.        Surface high will bring some sun by the afternoon.

      AVALANCHE ACTIVITY:

      An avalanche in Kamchatka has killed a man in a school. Article below.                            Net Pic

          Equinox Slid, check out MIN Report below.                                                           Wilfred Pic

      The Heat is On--Two wet slab avalanches observed in Wyoming. Article below.       BTAC Pic

      Explosive charge on Bushwhip Saturday am.

      Avalanche control on Blackcomb yesterday produced mostly Sz 1 Xe with a few Sz 2 storm slabs.

     Avalanche control on Whistler yesterday produced some Sz 1-1.5 Xe, Xc, Xl. A few Sz 2's.

From Sea to Sky avalanche advisory:

Avalanche Summary

Explosive mitigation on Saturday produced numerous large cornice and storm slab avalanches, with 50-100 cm crown depths. Explosives also released a very large (size 3) wind slab avalanche on a northeast aspect above 2000 m on Friday. 

Reports indicate that a natural avalanche cycle occurred during the storm on Friday, with small to large (size 1-2.5) avalanches releasing in the storm snow across aspects and elevations. Check out this MIN report from Hanging Lake.

Snowpack Summary

Another 15-25 cm of snow is forecast to accumulate by midday on Sunday above 1000 m. This will add to the 50-80 cm of snow that blanketed slopes above 1600 m on Friday. The recent snow has been accompanied by strong south winds, forming touchier slabs on leeward slopes. Pay attention to how wind has redistributed snow and investigate the bond of the new and old snow interfaces as you travel in the backcountry on Sunday. Massive cornices exist on ridgelines, which can act as triggers on slopes below. A cooling trend over the weekend is expected to settle and strengthen lower elevation slopes that became saturated with rain. 

In isolated areas with a shallower snowpack in the region, a layer of facets, spotty surface hoar, and/or crusts buried in mid-February may still be preserved. There have been no avalanches reported on this layer; however, large triggers, such as an avalanche in motion, cornice fall, or intense loading from snow and wind have the potential to this deeper layer in areas where it may still exist.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled and strong in most areas.

     INFORMATION & OBSERVATIONS:

      Avalanche rating yesterday in the Sea to Sky was Considerable.

      Hard to see avalanche debris in yesterday's light.

     First group up with some nice light.

      Entrance into West Cirque.

      There are some large nasty rock holes out there.

     There were some awesome turns to be had in the afternoon.

     Nice light on Decker in the afternoon..

FROM SEA TO SKY MIN REPORTS:

Below Hanging Lake: March 5, 2021

Chief Pascal Trees: March 6, 2021

Equinox Slid: March 6, 2021

Chuting Gallery: March 6, 2021

VIDEOS:

Powder Picker March 6, 2021: David Jones

ARTICLES:

An avalanche hits a school killing one person: Kamchatka

Avalanche Testimony in criminal case could have chilling effect: Colorado

Two wet slab avalanches observed in the Teton Forecast area: Wyoming

The cause and risks of avalanches in Norway: What you need to know

It was a men's world-Until Mary Clayton Broke into it: Inspiring Women

        Submit your best avalanche photo for a pair of  Goggles March 1-31, 2021. Sea to Sky Area.

                                                    Thanks to Volkl Canada for sponsoring.