Kootenay Boundary

Recent snow and strong northwest wind formed wind slabs on lee features at treeline and above.

Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Numerous explosive triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 2 were reported on Saturday.

Data in this region is limited. Please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

10-15 cm of new snow on Saturday and strong northwest wind formed fresh wind slabs on lee features at treeline and above.

The recent snow is sitting on a hard crust. Below this crust, a weak layer of surface hoar is present in some areas.

A second crust layer is down 40-60 cm.

Average snowpack depths at treeline are 70-130 cm. Snow depth tapers rapidly below treeline.

Christmas Eve

Partly cloudy skies, south alpine wind 30 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.

Christmas Day

Mostly cloudy skies, south alpine wind 40 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy, southwest alpine wind 30 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud, south alpine wind 40 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
• Avoid slopes that sound hollow or drum-like.
• Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.