If you haven't had your powder fix, hurry up and get out there, freezing levels are creeping up. Watch for isolated pockets of wind slab in lee features in exposed alpine terrain. Recent snow may become increasingly sensitive to triggering if the sun comes out Friday.
Watch for wind loaded pockets in lee terrain features such as beneath ridge crests and roll-overs.
Cornices are large, looming and need to be given their space from above and below.
Thursday night: Scattered flurries. Light wind. Alpine high temperatures around -6. Freezing level valley bottom.
Friday: Mix of sun and cloud. Light to moderate westerly wind. Alpine high temperatures around -2. Freezing level 1800 m.
Saturday: Sunny. Moderate westerly wind. Alpine high temperatures around 0. Freezing level 2300 m.
Sunday: 25-50mm of rain. Strong southwest wind. Alpine high temperatures around 0. Freezing level 2400 m.
On Wednesday the only avalanche activity reported was loose dry sluffing with skier traffic on steep northerly aspects. Explosive control work on Monday and Tuesday produced mainly size 1 loose dry avalanches and a few thin size 1-1.5 storm slabs showing minimal cohesion and propagation.
A large (size 2) glide slab occurred overnight Friday on a lower elevation slope on Mt. Fernie. It may have been coaxed into action by overnight rainfall. This serves as a great reminder to avoid slopes with glide cracks on them at all times. They are inherently unstable and can release at any time.
20-40 cm of new snow has been accumulating incrementally over recent days. Depending on the time of day, moist snow or a crust can be found on solar aspects and below 1700 m. Isolated, soft wind slabs can be found in lee features of wind exposed alpine terrain. The snowpack is otherwise well settled and strong.
