Lots of new snow has increased the avalanche danger.
The best and safest riding will be found on low-angle slopes with no terrain traps below.
New snow needs time to settle and bond. If triggered, this problem may run on the crust near the base of the snowpack.
A large (size 2.5) natural storm slab occurred on Thursday in the Lizard Range. It was on a fan feature below a headwall.
Numerous small, wind slabs were triggered by riders in open areas near Nelson on Wednesday.
A large rider-accidental avalanche was triggered at Harvey Pass, Fernie on Monday. It started as a storm slab and stepped down to the crust near the base of the snowpack.
The top of the snowpack consists of 20 cm of new snow on top of another 30-40 cm from last weekend.
The bottom is moist snow or a crust from early November that is just above the ground. The crust has acted as a bed surface for recent avalanches, it's unclear how long this layer will last.
Snowpack depth is 80-100 cm at treeline.
Thursday Night
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 10 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
SaturdayCloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
SundayMostly cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
