Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for slabs on all aspects and in unusual places.
The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.
Wind slabs have been reported on a variety of aspects and at all elevations. Expect the most reactive slabs in immediate lee terrain, such as just below ridgetops and in gullies.
On Wednesday, wind slabs were reactive to snowmobile traffic on freshly loaded and cross-loaded southerly features near Pine Pass.
If you are heading into the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network.
Recent wind has varied in direction and intensity, resulting in a variety of wind affect in exposed terrain.
A prominent crust, formed in mid-December, is now buried between 55 and 80 cm deep. This crust extends up to 1800 m near the Pine Pass area, and up to 2000 m near McBride.
In thin snowpack areas, faceted grains or depth hoar may exist at the base of the snowpack. The snowpack depth is around 200-240 cm at treeline.
For recent conditions near Torpy and Pine Pass, check out the MIN from our field team.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 10 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.
Saturday
Mostly sunny. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -25 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 15 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
