Avalanche Forecast

No new avalanches have been reported in the region since Sunday, when one large (size 2) wind slab and a few small ones were triggered with explosives near Kelowna.

A few small wind slabs and one large were also reported on Saturday in the south of the region. These were both rider-triggered and naturally occurring.

Light recent snow amounts have been battered by alternating southerly and northerly winds, leading to predominantly wind-affected surfaces in exposed terrain.

There is a thin rain crust below 1500 m that is buried around 30 cm deep. Some spots have small surface hoar crystals with this crust, but it hasn't produced any avalanches in the region.

A crust buried in early December is 50 to 85 cm deep. In some places there are weak facets above the crust, but it currently isn't a concern.

The mid and lower snowpack are generally strong and well-settled.

The snowpack is 100-150 cm deep at treeline.

Thursday Night

Mainly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind, easing. Freezing level to valley bottom.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Saturday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Sunday

Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• The snowpack is generally stable; it may be appropriate to step out into more complex terrain.
• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.