Be mindful of buried weak layers within range of human triggering.
The primary layer of concern in much of the region is a layer of surface hoar down 20-50 cm. If triggered, avalanches on this layer could step down to deeper weak layers.
A layer of weak facets near the ground may be reactive to human triggering. Especially in shallow, rocky areas in alpine terrain where the layer is not being capped by a crust.
Small loose wet avalanches were reported on south aspects in the warm weather on Saturday.
Prior to the weekend, explosive-triggered wind slabs were reported to size 1.5 in the northwest Purcells and ski cuts produced loose dry to size 1 in the upper snowpack facets near Invermere.
Various snow surfaces exist, including crusts, settled powder, unconsolidated facets and old wind slab. Beneath lies a complex snowpack with many layers that vary across the region.
The most prominent is a layer of surface hoar buried 20-50 cm deep. It is less of a concern in areas where a strong, supportive crust exists above the surface hoar layer.
The lower snowpack is typically characterized by sugary, facetted crystals and a crust.
Snowpack depths at treeline average 50-120 cm with significant variability across the region.
Sunday night
Partly cloudy with trace amounts of new snow, ridgetop wind <10 km/h southwest, treeline temperature -8 °C.
Monday
A mix of sun and cloud, ridgetop wind 10 km/h southeast, treeline temperature -5 °C.
Tuesday
A mix of sun and cloud, ridgetop wind 10 km/h south, treeline temperature -7 °C.
Wednesday
A mix of sun and cloud, ridgetop wind <10 km/h south, treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
