Avalanche Forecast

Small (mostly size 1) natural and skier-triggered wind slabs were reported earlier in the week. Otherwise, no new avalanches have been observed.

Last week, large cornice failures in high north-facing alpine terrain notably did not propagate any weak layers on the slopes below. This is a good indicator of snowpack stability.

Looking forward, we're expecting to see natural avalanches within the new storm snow.

New snow falls over widespread crusty surfaces on all but high north-facing alpine terrain, where snow is dry and likely wind affected. There are no deeper concerns at this time.

Heaviest snowfall for this storm will favor areas south of Nakusp; the Goat and Valhalla ranges on Friday and Saturday and in the southern Monashees/Okanagan on Saturday night and Sunday.

Thursday night

5 to 15 cm of new snow in high terrain. 10 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Friday

5 to 10 cm of snow in high terrain. 10 to 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Saturday

10 to 25 cm of snow in high terrain. 10 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

Sunday

5 to 10 cm of snow overnight, then tapering through the day with another 5 cm possible. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.
• As the storm slab problem gets trickier, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
• Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 25cm of new snow.
• Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.