Additional snowfall and strong wind will increase the avalanche danger throughout the day.
Seek out slopes with soft snow and no slab characteristics for the safest riding.
Additional snowfall and wind will create new slabs. Expect them to be reactive to natural and human triggers, especially in freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
On Monday, explosive control work in West Purcells produced several large loose dry avalanches (size 1.5-2.5 ) which failed within the recent storm snow on northerly alpine slopes.
Wind/storm slabs were also reactive skier-triggered on steep loaded rolls at treeline and above, producing small avalanches (size 1).
80 to 110 cm of recent snow overlies a prominent hard crust formed in mid-December that extends up to 2300 m. Continued wind has redistributed the storm snow in exposed terrain at treeline and in the alpine.
Where the crust is thick and supportive, it effectively caps a few mid-snowpack instabilities, making them difficult to trigger. These layers, now over 150 cm deep, may still be a concern in the high alpine where the crust is thin or nonexistent.
Snowpack depth is around 230 cm at treeline, tapering with elevation below 1500 m.
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. Up to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 20 to 40 cm of snow. 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
