North Columbia

Thin new wind slabs are expected to be touchy on Monday. Use extra caution in wind exposed terrain and watch for signs of recent wind loading in leeward and cross-loaded terrain features.

Moderate - Wind effect is extremely variable

Around 5 cm of new snow is expected Sunday night before an Arctic front moves southwards on Monday bringing a return to cold and dry conditions which is expected to persist for most of the week. A mix of sun and cloud is expected on Monday with treeline temperatures around -10C and the possibility of lingering flurries in the morning. Alpine wind is forecast to be moderate to strong from northwest in the morning and ease off in the afternoon. Mostly sunny conditions are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday with light alpine wind from the northeast and treeline temperatures around -15C.

On Saturday, skiers triggered three size 1 wind slabs. Two of these were in the Monashees on north and northwest aspects at around 2100 m elevation and were 5-10 cm thick slabs. One was reported in the Selkirks on a northeast aspect at 2400 m elevation and had a slab thickness of 30 cm. Ongoing moderate to strong wind with small amounts of new snow on Sunday night is expected to continue to develop touchy new winds slabs. Recent wind has been from variety of aspects and wind slabs should be expected on all aspects.In the far north of the region around Blue River and Valemount, a more persistent slab problem exists. Several large human triggered avalanches were reported early last week. If you are recreating in the Monashees near Blue River or Valemount, use the Cariboos forecast for more representative conditions.

30-60 cm of old snow has settled over the mid-January interface which consists of buried surface hoar in sheltered areas and/or widespread faceted old snow. The interface has generally stabilized but isolated weaknesses may still exist where buried surface hoar is preserved. Ongoing moderate to strong winds in exposed terrain have been forming new wind slabs over the weekend. The new snow and strong winds on Sunday night are expected to add additional load to these touchy wind slabs. The mid-December surface hoar/facet persistent weakness can now be found down 100-120 cm. This weakness is currently dormant in the south of the region, but sensitive to human-triggers in the northern part of the region near Blue River and Valemount. It is highly recommended to investigate this layer before committing to any large, unsupported features. Read the Cariboo forecast for more information.