Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Badshot-Battle, Bonnington, Central Selkirk, Esplanade, Goat, Gold, Grohman, Kootenay Boundary, Norns, North Okanagan, North Selkirk, Rossland, South Columbia, South Okanagan, Valhalla, Whatshan.
Winter is back! ❄️ Rugged travel down low could be rewarded with good riding up high.
Evaluate how new snow is bonding to the crust and avoid areas where it feels stiff or slabby.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
We expect avalanche activity to increase on Sunday with cooler temperatures and fresh snowfall. As you gain elevation, evaluate how new snow is bonding to the crust and look for signs of instability.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 30 cm of new snow overlies a crust at most elevations. Below 1000 m surface snow may remain moist or wet.
A layer of facets (and small surface hoar in some areas) is buried 30-60 cm deep and a layer of facets on a crust is buried 80-100 cm deep. While cooler temperatures have allowed these layers to strengthen we continue to monitor them for signs of reactivity.
The snowpack depth at treeline is roughly 100 to 150 cm
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Cloudy with snowfall, 5 to 15 cm of accumulation. Alpine wind northeast 5 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperature -3 °C, freezing level 1000 m.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with continued snowfall, up to 5 cm accumulation. Alpine wind east 5 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C, freezing level 1200 m.
Monday
Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Alpine wind southeast 10 to 20 km/h. Treeline temperature -5 °C, freezing level 1300 m.
Tuesday
Cloudy with snowfall, up to 5 cm of accumulation. Alpine wind southwest 10 to 30 km/h. Treeline temperature -4 °C, freezing level 1400 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
- Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Watch for reactivity in wind-affected features. Although storm totals are small, slabs may slide easily on the crust below.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5
Persistent Slabs
The likelihood of avalanches on buried weak layers is decreasing, but we are uncertain how quickly. High-consequence slopes should be approached with caution.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3