Avalanche Forecast

No new avalanches have been reported. Last Monday a small size 1 avalanche was accidentally triggered by a skier near Big White. See the MIN report here.

Looking forward, we expect triggering slab avalanches will be unlikely until we start to see more snow accumulating throughout Friday and Saturday.

If you head into the backcountry please consider submitting a MIN post.

5 to 10 cm of new snow is adding to the previous 10 to 20 cm of low-density old storm snow from earlier in the week. This snow covers a thin crust on sun-exposed slopes and surface hoar in wind-sheltered areas. In wind-exposed terrain at upper elevations, you may find variably wind-affected surfaces and potential new wind slabs forming. In wind-sheltered areas, the snow remains soft and low-density, but small loose dry avalanches remain possible in steep areas. Otherwise, the upper snowpack is largely faceted, with a crust and in some cases surface hoar from late January buried 30 to 40 cm. The rest of the snowpack has no current layers of concern.

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with 1 to 4 cm of snow. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level rising to 1600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
• Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
• Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for slabs before you commit to it.