Persistent slab remains touchy on Mt Field. Forecasters moved cautiously today. Remain skeptical and curious about this layer.
Recent strong winds from the W/SW have redistributed surface snow into lee pockets in the alpine. Use caution when transitioning into this type of terrain.
A 35-50+ cm slab sits over the Jan. 24th surface hoar layer on shady aspects, and crust/ facets on southerly slopes up into the alpine. The surface hoar is very touchy, especially in Yoho and Kootenay between 1600-2200m. We expect this to persist for the next while.
Today’s field team did not observe any recent avalanches in the Mt Field area. However, conditions remain touchy and they were very conservative with terrain choices.
40cm of snow overlies a heavily wind-affected surface at upper elevations. Below this, the Jan. 24 layer (surface hoar/crust/facet) sits 30–50+ cm down at treeline. This layer has been very reactive in Kootenay and Yoho. In the alpine, we suspect this problem is predominantly on southerly aspects as a facet/crust interface. We expect touchy conditions for the foreseeable future.
A few cm of new snow overnight Wednesday, totaling less than 5 cm as forecast snowfall was significantly reduced. Winds will be moderate with strong gusts from the west. Temperatures remain seasonal with valley temps near 0°C and ridgetops near −10°C. Strong solar input will quickly moisten snow on solar aspects and low elevations.
