South Columbia

Expect the avalanche hazard to increase throughout the day on Thursday as new snow accumulates.

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Thursday: 10-20cm of new snow / Moderate southwest winds / Freezing level at 1100m Friday: 3-5cm of new snow / Light southerly winds / Freezing level at 1100mSaturday: Overcast skies / Light southerly winds / Freezing level at 900m

On Tuesday explosives control triggered a size 2 storm slab on a north facing alpine slope. No other avalanche observations were submitted. I expect a new round of storm slab activity in response to new snow and wind on Thursday.We currently have very limited observations in this region. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Up to 20cm of new snow has fallen in the past few days. I'd expect reactive storm slabs to exist in wind-exposed terrain or in places where the recent storm snow has a weak bond with a series of crusts from late November which lie up to 30cm below the surface.Another feature in the snowpack is a 3-5 cm thick crust which was formed around Halloween and can be found approximately 100cm down at treeline elevations. This layer is generally thought to be stubborn to trigger; however, it may be worth investigating if your travel plans involve large triggers on big, steep, unsupported terrain.The depth of the snowpack varies greatly with elevation. Recent reports suggest the average depth is 200+cm in the alpine, 100-150cm at treeline, and decreasing rapidly below treeline where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks. We currently have very limited snowpack observations within this region and it is critical to supplement this information with your own observations.