Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Overnight and Thursday: Light snowfall / moderate to strong west winds/ Freezing level at 800mFriday: Light snowfall / moderate to strong west winds / Freezing level at surfaceSaturday: Trace amounts of snow / Light west winds / Freezing level at surface

On Tuesday, releases on the early November crust to size 1.5 were observed on a variety of aspects in the Invermere area between 2300m and 1800m. Triggering has been by explosives use and ski cutting, while one event was a skier accidental. I expect significant wind slab activity in the wake of strong winds and snowfall on Tuesday/Wednesday.

In the upper snowpack, strong winds and light to locally heavy snowfall are responsible for newly formed wind slabs which are likely to exist on north to northeast aspects at treeline and above. Winds have also shaped new cornices which could fail and act as a trigger for the slope belowUp to 75cm of  snow that fell over the past week may sit above a surface hoar layer that was buried on the 28th. Although not widespread in the region, releases on this layer are quite likely if you have it in your area. Another surface hoar layer that developed during mid-november may exist up to 100cm down, and is still on the radar of professionals in the Golden area. At the base of the snowpack, there is a rain crust near the ground that we're calling the early November crust. There are some facets below it, or it may appear as a sandwich of crusts and facets. Although we haven't seen much activity on this layer in deeper snowpack areas, it is still reactive in the southeast corner of the region. In general, significant variations in snowpack structure exist across the region. Digging down and making your own observations will be critical to safe slope selection.