North Columbia

Wind effect will drive the avalanche danger in many areas. The safest, and best, riding may be in lower elevation terrain sheltered from the wind.

Moderate - Wind effect is extremely variable

Wednesday: Mainly clear skies / Moderate northerly ridgetop winds / Alpine temperatures of -15Thursday: Clear skies / Light and variable winds / Alpine temperatures of -10Friday: Mainly clear skies / Moderate southwest ridgetop winds / Alpine temperatures of -8

Naturally triggered wind slabs to size 2 were noted in exposed terrain on Monday. These formed in response to new snow and strong variable winds. Continued northerly winds on Tuesday will likely promote a reverse loading pattern increasing the likelihood of human-triggered wind slab activity on all aspects.

Up to 30 cm of low density snow fell on Sunday night and Monday. Moderate to strong southwest and then northerly winds have shifted these fresh accumulations into wind slabs at treeline and above. These accumulations have covered old, thicker wind slabs from previous wind events. A layer of faceted "sugar snow" and spotty surface hoar which formed during December's cold snap now lies roughly 1 metre below the surface. This layer is now dormant in many areas, but remains a concern in shallow snowpack parts of the region. I'd continue to investigate this layer before committing to any large, unsupported features. The lower snowpack seems to be well bonded, but features a crust/facet deep persistent weakness near the ground which remains a concern on rocky features in shallow snowpack areas.