From the CAA
December 18, 2009
Some thoughts on conditions as we head into the Christmas Holidays.
This year's snowpack is turning out to be a pretty good one so far compared to the last couple of winters. The layers deep in the snowpack and near the ground are generally looking pretty good, the middle layers of the snowpack are pretty solid for the most part, and there's some great powder on the surface providing wonderful riding conditions. This is not to say that it's good to go everywhere all the time, but certainly this year looks a lot more normal or average than what we've experienced in the last couple of seasons. Let's hope it keeps up.
In the South Coast area (Sea to Sky Corridor, Pemberton, Duffy Lake/Cayoosh Pass, Goldbridge, Coquihalla, etc.) the early December cold snap left a layer of sugary facetted snow on top of a firm or crusty surface. A slab of firmer, denser snow has recently formed over the looser, sugary facets and avalanches are being triggered both naturally and by human activities. The Special Public Avalanche Warning for this region for December 18 - 21, 2009 was issued because we expect this problem to persist for at least several days after the weather clears and perhaps longer. This is something people may not recognize. We'll reassess the situation after the weekend and extend the warning if we feel it's warranted. We are especially concerned in this region because conditions have not been great for the last while and now, with the holidays starting and great new snow on the surface, people will be keen to hit the slopes and may forget to do their homework first. You South Coasters: keep your heads up and be more careful for longer than normal until we see how this situation plays out. Stay on lower angled slopes (less than 25 degrees) and simple terrain, stay out of start zones, and eliminate or minimize your exposure to terrain traps and large avalanche runout zones.
