Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain

TONIGHT: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 10-15 cm. Ridge wind strong, west. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 500 m.SUNDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 2-5 cm. Ridge wind strong, west. Alpine temperature near -2. Freezing level 1800 m.MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Ridge wind moderate, west. Alpine temperature near 0. Freezing level 2100 m.TUESDAY: Increasing cloud. Ridge wind moderate to strong, southwest. Alpine temperature near +4. Freezing level 2600 m.

Numerous small slab avalanches have been reported in the top 10-30 cm of snow all through this week. It appears as though moderate amounts of new snow with just the right amount of wind have continuously set up thin, but touchy wind slabs in a variety of places. While these have been mostly small (size 1-1.5), a size 2 wind slab avalanche was reported near Fernie on Wednesday morning on a northeast aspect at approximately 2000 m. On Friday skier's reported a close call on wind-loaded slope on a southeast aspect at 1940 m. Read their MIN report here.Also on Friday, explosive control work produced wind slab and cornice releases up to size 2 in alpine terrain.Thursday in the Elkford area, recent small (size 1) loose/dry avalanches were reported on northerly aspects while loose/wet were observed on solar aspects.

20-30 cm storm snow sits above a variety of crusts on all but high north aspects. Wind has formed isolated slabs in lee features, and in some cases snow may be poorly bonded to the crusts.There are some reports of a surface hoar layer roughly 80 cm deep on north aspects at treeline, but no recent avalanche activity on this layer. A layer of sugary facets around a crust exists near the bottom of the snowpack, but this layer has been inactive for some time.