Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin

Vancouver Island Avalanche Bulletin

Date Issued: Monday, March 9, 2009

Valid Until: Thursday March 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:

Fair: Good confidence with weather forecasting but snow pack information is limited.

Primary concerns:

Persistent wind slabs in the alpine and at tree line and persistent surface hoar in isolated locations at all elevations.

Weather:

Little (trace to 6cm) precipitation over the last four days. Winds have been moderate to strong and predominantly from the North and North West. Freezing levels as high as 1000m on Friday dropped quickly to sea level and have stayed there as temperatures continue to drop with intense arctic air. The forecast is for continued cold tuesday followed by some warming Wednesday and Thursday with freezing levels reaching 500 metres on Wednesday and 1500 metres Thursday. Expect a mixture of sun and cloud through the forecast period with light precipitation giving accumulations of about 5cm snow. Winds will be light and from the North and North West.

Travel advisory:

While time has perhaps allowed our main concerns to “heal” somewhat, wind slabs on all aspects and lingering buried surface hoar in isolated places remain and could result in avalanches triggered by skiers, snowboarders, sledders, hikers or climbers. Be aware that winds from virtually all directions have created these slabs so they can be found on all aspects though the most recent and thus most reactive slabs will be those found on South and South east aspects formed by the North and North West winds. Avoid avalanche start zones at all elevations which are open to the sky, sheltered from the wind and sun and below ridge top and may he home to lingering buried surface hoar. If you have snow stability evaluation skills use them to try to find this surface hoar and it’s reactivity and report your findings to our forecasters.

Snowpack:

Wind slab exists on all aspects but have most recently been created on the South and South East aspects. The Surface Hoar of 22 February will exist in specific locations at all elevations most likely in places that are open to the sky, sheltered from the wind and sun and below ridge top. While time has perhaps allowed these two main concerns to “heal” somewhat, they could still cause avalanches when loaded in the right places by humans. The very cold temperatures of recent days (continuing Tuesday) have furthered faceting in the upper snow pack. This is not a problem at present but with a sufficient load of new snow this will bring on avalanche activity.

Avalanche Activity:

No new avalanche activity has been reported.

Outlook:

Continued cold Tuesday followed by some warming Wednesday and Thursday with freezing levels reaching 500 metres on Wednesday and 1500 metres Thursday. Expect a mixture of sun and cloud through the forecast period with light precipitation giving accumulations of about 5cm snow.

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.