Watch for signs of instability, like shooting cracks, as you move into steeper terrain.
Choose smaller test slopes before committing to large features.
Storm snow is starting to settle and bond but remains reactive in some areas, particularly wind-exposed terrain. Test on small features before committing to larger terrain.
On Wednesday, a size 2 wind slab was skier-triggered on a SE aspect at 1950 m elevation. A large (size 2) storm slab avalanche was triggered utilizing explosives near Fernie. It was initiated on a NE aspect and ran 500 meters.
Several small (size 1-1.5) storm slab avalanches were triggered with explosives near Fernie on Tuesday.
Numerous explosive and rider-triggered large (size 2) storm slabs were reported near Fernie on Monday.
20 to 30 cm of recent snow adds on top of the early February rain crust now buried 40 to 50 cm deep, which seems well-bonded at lower elevations but isn't bonding well at higher elevations.
There are crusts and facets in the mid and lower snowpack but have not produced any recent avalanches.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy. 10-15 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy, light flurries 1 to 5 cm. 15 to 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Friday
Mostly clear skies. 20 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.
Saturday
Clear skies. 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
