Select terrain wisely: Slopes with deeper snow offer smoother travel and better riding, but increased avalanche risk.
Patience and thoughtfulness will help you start your season safely.
Use extra caution on slopes where previous snowfall had smoothed out rough ground surfaces, and sheltered areas where surface hoar may be preserved under the storm snow.
It is likely that a small natural avalanche cycle occurred during the heaviest part of Friday night's storm. On Sunday, natural avalanche activity should taper off, but human triggered avalanches are still possible on slopes that are above threshold.
On Friday, a few small (size 1) rider triggered storm slab avalanches were reported in the immediate lee of ridgetops.
Please consider filling out a MIN report if you are out in the backcountry.
20-40 cm of new snow will overlie a variety of surfaces including; a crust on steep south facing slopes in the alpine, a crust with surface hoar above it at treeline and a crust where snow exists below treeline. Watch for treeline slopes to become more reactive as the recent storm snow settles into a more cohesive slab.
In the mid pack, 10 to 20 cm of faceted snow overlies a crust from mid November.
Above about 1600 m, snowpack height ranges from 70 to 140 cm, increasing with elevation.
Saturday Night
Cloudy. 0-5 cm of snow expected. Moderate Southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5°C.
Sunday
Cloudy. 10-20 cm of new snow expected, with the larger amounts expected in the north end of the forecast area. Strong to extreme southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level 1250-1500 m, possibly as high as 2000 in the south end of the forecast area.
Monday
Cloudy. Mixed precipitation. 5-10 cm of snow or light rain (10-20mm) expected. Moderate rain in the Brohm Ridge area. Staying fairly dry in the Manning Park area. Strong to extreme southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to 1500m, as high as 2750 m south of Pemberton.
Tuesday
Cloudy. Mixed precipitation. Moderate to heavy rain (45-65 mm) below the freezing line, which will be between 2500 and 3000 m during the heaviest precipitation, falling back to 1750 by the end of the day. Extreme southwest wind in the morning, tapering to Strong by the end of the day.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
