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Backcountry Avalanche Advisory

As of Wednesday, March 24

Alpine: Moderate Thursday, Considerable Friday

Treeline: Moderate through Friday

Below Treeline: Low through Friday

Travel Advisory: Temperature affected slabs up to 30 centimetres from early this week are sitting on a variety of crusts on solar exposed aspects and wind affected slabs in lee areas. An ongoing cycle of immature cornice noses and some big old cornices have been falling with regularity over the past week. Warm temperatures, wind and precipitation on Thursday night are in the forecast.

Avalanche Activity: Avalanche control on March 21 produced mostly size 1.0 results, with up to size 1.5 results on north and northwest start zones with crown lines up to 30 cm deep. Cornices up to size 2.5 have been easily triggered for the past week.

Snowpack: A wide variety of old surfaces can be found under the new snow varying from wind affected slabs to hard crusts. You will find melt-freeze surface conditions on solar affected slopes and as you drop down below tree line. Moderate shears have been observed in soft buried decomposing layers now about 30 centimetres down.

Weather: Partly sunny skies are expected for Wednesday as a ridge of high pressure breaks down. Unsettled condition on Thursday will lead to a weak system that will bring strong winds and moderate precipitation on Thursday night. High daytime freezing levels with minimal overnight cooling are forecast until a slightly cooler and weak ridge arrives on Friday.

Check out the avalanche bulletins at avalanche.ca or whistlerblackcomb.com for updates.