Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Kootenay Boundary.
Wind slabs still lurk behind ridges and peaks in the alpine. Be careful when transitioning into wind-affected terrain.
Confidence
High -
Weather Forecast
Tuesday night: Dry. Winds light northwesterly.
Wednesday: Dry with sunny periods. Winds light northwesterly. Freezing level around 1000 m.
Thursday: Around 5 cm new snow. Winds moderate southwesterly. Freezing level around 900 m.
Friday: Flurries. Winds moderate southwesterly. Freezing level around 800 m.
Avalanche Summary
Two small skier-triggered wind slab avalanches were reported on east/northeast aspects in alpine terrain on Monday. One of these was reported to have slid on a crust buried around 20 cm below the surface.
Snowpack Summary
The wind shifted to a northwesterly direction and redistributed the snow onto a variety of aspects loading lee terrain features at treeline and in the alpine. The recent storm snow sits on a thick rain crust as high as 2000 m and varies from 25-45 cm in the east of the region to 40-100 cm in the west of the region. Recent avalanches slid on the crust or released within the storm snow. However, recent information indicates the bond at the crust is improving.
Weak facet/crust layers near the base of the snowpack have not been an active avalanche problem recently.Â
Terrain and Travel
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
- A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind has recently switched direction from northwest to southwest and back again. Wind slabs may exist on a variety of aspects in exposed alpine terrain. The presence of a rain crust may increase the likelihood of triggering this layer.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2