Avalanche Forecast

Good - The weather pattern is stable

Synopsis: The arctic ridge is here to stay and very little variation in the weather is expected in the next seven days.Sunday: Sky: Cloudy; Freezing Level: Valley Bottom; Precip: Nil; Wind: Light, NEMonday: Sky: Mix Sun/Cloud; Freezing Level: Valley Bottom; Precip: Nil Wind: Light, NETuesday: Sky: Mix Sun/Cloud; Freezing Level: Valley Bottom; Precip: Nil Wind: Light, NE

On Thursday/Friday we received reports of small natural and human-triggered loose snow avalanches from steep terrain features.  One anomalous report of a glide crack release resulting in a size 2 avalanche on a SE face near Revelstoke was also reported.

The upper and mid-snowpack are generally well consolidated and layers are well bonded. However, in thinner snowpack areas a facet/crust weakness may exist near the bottom of the snowpack and this remains a concern. The depth of this layer makes triggering an avalanche unlikely but the consequences would be large, destructive avalanches. This is referred to as a 'low probability, high consequence' event. We are recommending avoiding thin or rocky areas on steep, convex, unsupported slopes. In most areas, a widespread weak layer is now buried by around 10cm of new snow. This weak layer consists of large surface hoar (widespread in most sheltered and shaded areas at all elevations), a sun crust on open south facing slopes, facet grains (in colder areas or areas with a thinner snowpack), or a combination of any of the above. This layer may become a problem in the future when we finally get more snowfall.