Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Thursday: Generally overcast skies / Light southwest winds / Freezing level at 1300mFriday: Light snowfall becoming moderate in the afternoon / Strong southwest winds / Freezing level at 1000mSaturday: Light snowfall / Light northwest winds / Freezing level at 1000m

On Monday a couple of notable small avalanches were triggered on a northwest facing alpine feature on Mt Currie.  A skier remotely triggered a size 1.5 avalanche from 50m away on a NW facing slope that sympathetically triggered another size 1 avalanche. These slides may have failed on surface hoar crystals.  A few natural avalanches to size 2.5 were observed, possibly occurring on this same interface. I would expect another round of storm slab activity in the wake of Wednesday's storm.

Moderate amounts of snow fell on Wednesday. In the south of the region, heavy accumulations (~40cm) were observed. At lower elevations rain continued to saturate the snowpack. The storm was accompanied by moderate to strong south/southwest winds which left variable snow distribution in exposed terrain with dense wind slabs forming in lee and cross-loaded features. Up to 85cm below the surface you will likely find moist snow or a melt-freeze crust (depending on elevation) from last week's sunny weather. At the same interface, you may find spotty surface hoar on high north facing terrain. Large natural activity and remote triggers from earlier in the week suggest the surface hoar may continue to be reactive, especially with the weight of the new snow. Cornices are very large and could pop off with continued mild temperatures.