Kootenay Boundary

Warming forecast for the next few days will increase the Avalanche Danger, especially at higher elevations.Special thanks to the folks in Nelson and Kootenay Pass for their awesome MIN reports. You rock!

A dry ridge of high pressure will continue to bring clear skies and valley fog to the region for the forecast period. The strong inversion will continue until Monday with alpine temperature hovering at around 5' celcius while valley temperatures will remain well below freezing. Ridgetop winds should remain light to moderate from the northeast.

No new avalanches have been reported. This may speak to the lack of observations rather than actual conditions. Given the combination of solar radiation and warm temperatures at higher elevations, there has likely been a round of loose wet avalanche activity on steep, sun-exposed slopes.

At treeline elevations, the snowpack appears to typically be 1-1.5m deep. Current snow surfaces likely include a mix of stubborn wind slabs in exposed higher elevation terrain, loose faceted snow and surface hoar in sheltered areas, and (depending on the time of day) moist snow or a re-frozen crust on steep solar aspects. In some parts of the region a thick hard crust is reported to exist just below the surface. For the time being, this hard crust is likely adding significant strength to the snowpack. That said, the combination of facets and surface hoar overlying a hard crust could become a reactive weak layer if it ever gets buried by new snow. There is also a thick crust from early-November in the middle of the snowpack. The limited reports we have received suggest that this crust is well bonded but you should investigate the snowpack in your local area before committing yourself to avalanche terrain. In general, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding snowpack structure throughout the region. If you have any observations to share, please submit them to our Mountain Information Network.