A tricky avalanche problem exists. If triggered it could be very dangerous.
Stick to low-angle slopes free from terrain traps.
Large avalanches are possible where weak, sugary facets sit on top of a crust near the base of the snowpack. This problem is most likely found in the alpine, in steep rocky areas.
No new avalanches were reported on Wednesday or Thursday.
On Tuesday, 2 large (size 2) avalanches were triggered in the alpine near Invermere. They failed on a crust with facets near the base of the snowpack. Also, numerous small and large (size 1-2.5) natural storm slabs were seen near Jumbo.
Up to 50 cm of recent snow sits on a layer of surface hoar on shaded slopes, or a thin crust on sunny slopes.
Near the base of the snowpack there is a crust from early November. In shallower spots, facets have been found on the crust and avalanches have been occurring on this layer.
Typical snowpack depths in the alpine are 80-120 cm.
Thursday Night
Cloudy with 2 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
SaturdayMix of sun and cloud with up to 5 cm of snow. 5 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
SundayMix of sun and cloud with up to 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
