Small wind slabs remain a concern on exposed alpine slopes. At lower elevations, the snowpack is inconsistent with many hidden obstacles.
Isolated pockets of small wind slabs may persist in wind-loaded areas such as cross-loaded slopes, areas of drifted snow behind ribs, gullies, and other terrain breaks.
A few size 1 to 1.5 wind-slab avalanches were triggered by skiers and explosives in extreme alpine terrain in the Revelstoke area on Monday.
Please consider posting a MIN if you are heading out in the backcountry!
A trace amount of snow has buried a widespread layer of surface hoar in sheltered terrain, a thin suncrust on steep south-facing aspects, and firm wind-affected surfaces in exposed terrain.
The mid snowpack contains a supportive melt-freeze crust, roughly 40 to 60 cm below the surface.
The average snow depth at treeline ranges from 70 to 100 cm.
Below treeline, the snowpack tapers significantly. Watch out for variable snow conditions and quality—early-season hazards such as open creeks, rocks, and stumps are abundant.
Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Wednesday
Cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow at treeline. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy. 1 to 5 cm of snow at treeline. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Friday
Cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow at treeline. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
