Avalanche Forecast

Low - Recent weather patterns have resulted in a high degree of snowpack variability within the region. Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Cooler, a mix of sun and clouds for the remainder of the week as high pressure builds. Higher Freezing levels to the south.

Wednesday Night: A mix of clear and cloudy with isolated flurries, light Southwesterly wind, freezing level valley bottom (600m in the north and 1000m near the Kootneys). Alpine Low -7C.

Thursday: Cloudy with sunny periods, light Southeast wind, freezing level 1100 m. Alpine High -7C.

Friday: A mix of sun and clouds, isolated fluries, light and variable winds, freezing level 700 m. Alpine Low -10C / High -6C

Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds, light and variable winds, freezing level 700 m. Alpine Low -10C / High -7C

Avalanche hazard remains quite variable and dependent on snowfall amounts and freezing lines experienced during this recent storm. Certain regions received 40cm of snow while others barely saw 10cm. Lower hazard may exist in these areas with less snow fall.  

Numerous reports from Wednesday have come in describing the poor bond of new snow to the recent rain crusts producing small to large avalanches 5-25cm deep. Skier controlled small avalanches are being reported in addition to explosive control small and large avalanches at tree line and in the Alpine.  

On Tuesday, at the peak of the cycle, reports of large avalanches (Size 2) naturally and from skier controlled and explosive control work on Tuesday. A few Very Large (Size 3) Natural avalanches were reported running to valley bottom along the highway corridor.  

Our eyes and ears in the mountains are limited this winter due to fewer professional observations. If you go out in the mountains, please share your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN). Photos are especially helpful! Thank you so much for all the great MINs submitted so far!

As things cool after high freezing levels, anticipate refrozen surfaces below treeline up to 1800m. Freezing rain with the recent storm has created a thick rain crust which thins with elevation up to 2300m in many regions of the forecast area. Its distribution and extent remains unclear but we believe it is widespread. In some areas there are two rain crusts: a thin crust near the base of the recent storm snow and a second thicker (1-5cm) crust near the surface. New snow is bonding poorly to these layers. See this MIN report from near Kokanee Glacier & this MIN report from the South Columbia near Hall Mountain.  

Recent storm snowfall amounts of 20-40cm overlie a widespread large surface hoar. We suspect this layer may still be preserved in many tree line locations which were not affected by high freezing levels and rain events. In other words, if there is no rain crust at and below tree line, be on the look out for buried surface hoar.  

In the Alpine, recent winds will have redistributed snow. These storm slabs sit atop suncrust on solar aspects.  

The most notable layer in the lower snowpack is from early November rains (Nov 5 Crust), which is now sitting near the base of the snowpack and is likely surrounded by a weak layer of sugary facets. It is most likely to be reactive to human triggers on shallow rocky slopes in the alpine.

• Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
• Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
• In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.