Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Danger could INCREASE TO CONSIDERABLE with intense radiation on south and west aspects, especially at treeline and below. Be aware of how the warm weather is changing the snowpack.
Confidence
Good - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Weather Forecast
The weather pattern starts to change as the dominating upper ridge weakens allowing a more onshore flow, bringing cloudy skies and light precipitation.Tuesday: Mix of sun and clouds. Alpine temperatures near 3.0 and freezing levels riding to 2400 m. Ridgetop winds will blow light from the West.Wednesday/Thursday: Mainly cloudy with light precipitation amounts. Alpine temperatures around zero degrees and freezing levels around 2100 m. Ridgetop winds light from the West.
Avalanche Summary
Glide cracks are opening up and releasing, use extra caution or just straight up avoid them. On Sunday a size 3.5 glide crack release occurred from a West aspect at 2300 m and ran to the valley bottom. Loose wet avalanches up to size 2 continue to be widespread. Avalanche control work using explosives triggered loose snow and slab avalanches up to size 2.5 on SE-SW aspects.
Snowpack Summary
Large cornices loom over many slopes. The upper 10 cm of surface snow has become moist and wet up to 2300 m, and melt-freeze conditions exist. Surface facetting and surface hoar (up to 12 mm) are prevalent on Northerly aspects.The surface snow overlies an old crust (down 50-60 cm) which exists up to ridge top. The bonds with the crust have gained strength in most places, and most test results are showing resistant planar fracture characteristics. Snowpack variability exists; it is important to dig down and test weak layers before diving into your line.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.