A buried weak layer warrants caution as you gain elevation and the crust gets thinner.
Avoid wind loaded features in the alpine.
Wind slabs may be triggered in the alpine. These slabs may step down to deeper persistent layers, triggering larger than expected avalanches.
A weak layer of surface hoar is buried around 30 to 60 cm deep. This problem is spotty and unpredictable.
A crust with weak facets and/or depth hoar exists at the base of the snowpack in shallow snowpack areas. It's mainly been seen near Invermere, and gets less prominent as you go west and south.
On Wednesday, there were a few large (size 2.5) solar triggered wind slabs from steep south facing alpine terrain north of Elkford. Near Invermere, there was also several natural wet loose avalanches, up to size 2. From steep solar aspects.
On Tuesday, there was a widespread avalanche cycle with many small and large avalanches.
A crust extends up to around treeline. High alpine and north facing treeline areas may still be crust free.
At upper elevations, up to 25 cm of recent storm snow has been redistributed by strong southwest winds.
Around 40 to 60 cm of snow overlies a persistent weak layer of surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, and a sun crust on steep south-facing slopes.
A deep persistent weak layer consisting of a thick melt-freeze crust, with weak faceted snow and/or depth hoar, can be found near the ground in shallow snowpack areas.
Thursday Night
Clear skies. 10 to 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Friday
Sunny. 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
Saturday
Sunny. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Above freezing layer (AFL) in the alpine.
Sunday
Mostly sunny. 1 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
