Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin

Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin

Date Issued: Tuesday Feb 10, 2009

Valid Until: Thursday Feb 12, 2009

Bulletin Area: This bulletin covers the mountainous region of Vancouver Island from the Mt. Cain Ski Area in the North to the Beaufort range to the South including the mountains of Strathcona Provincial Park.

DANGER RATINGS

Confidence:

Good: Weather has passed us by now

Primary Concerns:

Wind slab overlying a variety of hard surfaces.

Weather:

Well our 5cms of forecasted snow turned into about 30 in the alpine on tuesday with moderate winds from the SE. The system should pass by us through the night with clearing on Wednesday with freezing levels dropping.

Snowpack:

Up to 30cms on new snow in the alpine with moderate SE winds will be loading start zones and lee areas.  This new snow has come in with cold temperatures and will be bonding poorly to the old hard surfaces.  Expect wind slabs in areas lee to the wind and for start zones to be loaded up on old hard surfaces. These windslabs will be reactive to skiers over the next few days.

Travel advisory:

Extra caution is advised in areas lee to the wind and in the classic start zone features. Expect to trigger windslabs on the sunny aspects where the new snow will overly this layer especially in areas that are lee.Caution is still advised in alpine areas with respect to the xmas facet layer.

Avalanche Activity:

No new avalanches have been observed.

Outlook:

Sunny with low freezing levels.

Are you traveling in the island back country?

Send our forecasters your observations. We are particularly interested in hearing if you have observed avalanche activity or If you or a member of your party has been involved in an avalanche. Email your observations to the Island Avalanche Bulletin forecasters at info@islandalpineguides.com

Important Notice: This is a regional forecast and significant variation may exist within the forecast area. The information and danger ratings are intended as a trip planning aid for recreational, backcountry users of avalanche terrain; they are not meant to be used as the sole factor in determining the avalanche danger presented by a specific slope. Always include local weather, snowpack and avalanche observations in your decision to travel in avalanche terrain. Observations and experience may lead to different conclusions from what is reported or recommended. See disclaimer for further details. The technical data used to produce these bulletins is obtained from a variety of sources, including local ski areas and remote weather resources.