Dogtooth

Lingering wind slabs may remain possible to trigger on Saturday.

Cornice failures could trigger very large persistent slabs, avoid traveling underneath them.

High

• We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.

On Thursday, one natural and several explosive triggered size 1 wind slabs were reported near Invermere on primarily north aspects at treeline and above.

If you are heading into the backcountry, please consider sharing conditions by posting a MIN.

20 to 35 cm of recent snow and strong southwest winds formed wind slabs on lee aspects at upper elevations.

Below the recent snow is a 5 to 10 cm thick crust that exists on all aspects up to at least 2200 m.

Various persistent weak layers may still exist in the top 150 cm of the snowpack. Triggering very large persistent slabs on these layers may be possible at upper elevations where the crust below the recent snow is thin or not present. Large triggers, like falling cornices, are the most likely to trigger these weak layers.

In shallow snowpack areas, depth hoar (large facets) can be found near the bottom of the snowpack.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
• Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.
• Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.
• Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.