Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bonnington, Crawford, Grohman, Kokanee, Kootenay Boundary, Kootenay Pass, Moyie, Norns, Rossland, St. Mary, Ymir.
Surface conditions and recent precipitation amounts are variable. Verify conditions as you travel.
Back off steep slopes if you find moist surface snow or no supportive crust.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Small wet loose avalanches continue to be triggered by skiers in steep terrain. Some small storm slab avalanches have also been reported on high north facing terrain where dry snow still remains.
Snowpack Summary
The upper snowpack is highly variable. A crust exists on or near the surface on all aspects below treeline and on all sun exposed slopes.  On north aspects, Up to 15 cm of snow has buried a melt-freeze crust from late March that increases in thickness  as you gain elevation. Below these crusts, the upper snowpack is moist.
Several week layers from early March, mid February and late January can be found in the mid and lower snowpack.
Weather Summary
Precipitation amounts over the next 24hrs could be highly variable due to convection.
Monday Night
Cloudy with 0 to 10 cm of snow. 10 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
- A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling, and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
- Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
- Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
Avalanche Problems
Loose Wet
Pulses of new snow and fluctuating freezing levels will see wet loose activity continue. Back off steep slopes where moist surfaces are found.
Dry loose avalanches are also possible where recent snow hasn't formed a slab or become moist .
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5
Persistent Slabs
Several persistent weak layers exist in the upper meter of the snowpack. Where these layers remain intact and there is no thick melt-freeze crust above human-triggering remains possible.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 2.5 - 3.5
Storm Slabs
Expected precipitation amounts are highly variable. If 15 cm of new snow accumulates new, small storm slabs could be found.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5