Early season forecasts are based on limited observations. I have removed the danger rating below treeline to reflect the snowpack at this elevation being below the threshold to produce avalanches.
Confidence
Poor - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Overnight and Tuesday: Above freezing temperatures are expected to continue at higher elevations again on Tuesday. Strong Southwest winds should begin to slow to 30-40 km/hr by Tuesday evening. Expect high clouds with some sunny breaks.Wednesday: Wind speeds should continue to slow and become more Westerly as the temperature inversion breaks down and cooler temperatures move into the Alpine.Thursday: Some light precipitation may make its way into the region during the day as wind speeds are expected to increase to strong from the Southwest.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported. However, isolated large slab avalanches may still be rider triggered, especially in areas that didn't previously avalanche.
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack depths at treeline elevations are about a metre. There is a new layer of surface hoar sitting above the settling recent storm snow. A surface hoar layer may exist 60-120 cm down but seems to be spotty, and drainage specific. Deeper in the snowpack near the base is a melt-freeze / rain crust that formed in October. This is generally found from 80-160 cm down near the base of the snowpack. This layer was reported to be down about 90 cm and "a hard ice crust" on the West slope of the Caribous near Wells Gray Park.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.