Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bonnington, Crawford, Grohman, Kokanee, Kootenay Boundary, Kootenay Pass, Moyie, Norns, Retallack, Rossland, South Okanagan, St. Mary, Valhalla, Ymir.
Watch for signs of instability as you move through the terrain.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
The Kokanee-Valhalla areas have seen indications of developing instability associated with the crust detailed in the snowpack summary. On Sunday in the Valhalla area, isolated pockets were released at this interface on a tracked, shallow, unsupported feature.
No other recent avalanche observations. Please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Snowpack Summary
Variable snow surfaces exist including crusts, moist snow, faceting old wind slabs and settled powder.
The upper and mid snowpack contain a variety of crusts. The most prominent is a thick, hard, widespread crust formed in early December. This is now buried 40 to 60 cm deep. In many places, this crust is potentially shielding deeper layers, buried surface hoar, from being triggered by riders. In the Valhalla-Kokanee zones, facets have been observed developing on top of the crust.
Average snowpack depths at treeline are roughly 70 to 130 cm. Snow depths taper dramatically at lower elevations.
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Cloudy with clear periods, no accumulation, ridgetop wind south 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy, trace accumulation, ridgetop wind south southwest 15 km/h, treeline temperature -3 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy, trace accumulation, ridgetop wind west 15 to 25 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, ridgetop wind west 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Carefully evaluate bigger terrain features on an individual basis before committing to them.
- Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
In the west of the region, recent snow may have formed small but reactive pockets of wind slab.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5