Avalanche Forecast

Low

• Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.
• Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.
• Uncertainty is due to the speed, direction, or duration of the wind and its effect on the snowpack.

Curiously, besides some sluffing in steep terrain, there have been no reports of avalanche activity in recent days, despite the accumulating storm snow.

In neighboring regions to the north of highway 16 and to the south of Kinbasket, large (size 2+) wind slabs have been observed on north to east aspects at upper elevations, triggered both naturally and artificially.

Ongoing flurries continue to add to 30 to 60 cm of recent storm snow sitting over a prominent crust that extends up to 2200 m. Wind is redistributing the recent snow in exposed terrain.

Where the crust is thick and supportive, it effectively caps a couple of mid snowpack instabilities, making them difficult to trigger. These include a spotty surface hoar layer, and a crust/facet layer from mid November. These layers may still be a concern in the high alpine where the crust is thin or nonexistent.

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow in most areas, 15+cm in high terrain near Mitchell Lake. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow overnight then 5 cm over the day. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
• Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.