Avalanche Forecast

There were a few reports of riders triggering wind slab avalanches on Sunday. They were mostly small (size 1) and 20 to 30 cm deep and they occurred on various aspects at alpine to treeline elevations.

One large (size 2.5), natural slab avalanche was reported Monday in the western Purcells. This avalanche was triggered during a period of strong sun and/or warming in a south-facing alpine slope. It failed on a buried crust 50 cm deep.

Widespread surface hoar growth has taken place recently, particularly around treeline elevations and below. A crust can be found on the surface of all south or sun-affected terrain. 20 to 30 cm of low-density faceted snow is found in sheltered areas.

Dry January conditions have created a weak, faceted upper snowpack with multiple surface hoar and crust layers within the upper snowpack. These layers have shown signs of reactivity in areas where a cohesive slab has formed above.

The mid and lower snowpack remains generally well-settled and strong, with no current concerns or significant instability noted.

Wednesday night

Scattered cloud. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloud with up 0 to 3 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloud with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
• Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
• Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.