North Columbia

There is potential for triggering large avalanches treeline and below due to the presence of a persistent slab problem. Click here to see our Forecasters' Blog for a more detailed description of current conditions.

High - The weather pattern is stable

FRIDAY - Mix of sun, cloud and isolated flurries/ moderate east wind / alpine temperature -18SATURDAY - Mainly sunny / moderate east wind / alpine high temperature near -20SUNDAY - Mix of sun and cloud / light east wind / alpine temperature -17

A persistent weak layer that was buried in mid January continues to be reactive to human triggers. This layer is sensitive enough for avalanches to be triggered remotely (from a distance). Skier and snowmobile triggered avalanches up to size 2.5 were reported on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. This layer is the most reactive at treeline and below. This MIN report from Monday does a great job of illustrating the sensitivity of this weak layer.Human triggered avalanches failing on the mid January persistent weak layer have been reported almost daily for the past two weeks in the North Columbia region.

30-80 cm of recent new snow sits on surface hoar (feathery crystals), facets (sugary snow), wind slabs and a crust on sun-exposed slopes. In many areas, recent winds have redistributed the new snow, forming wind slabs on all aspects due to shifting wind directions.The most notable feature in the snowpack at this time is a persistent weak layer that was buried in mid January, which is now buried 50-100 cm. This layer consists primarily of surface hoar, however there is also a crust associated with it on sun-exposed slopes. This layer is the most prominent at treeline and below, and continues to be produce avalanches.