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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 7th, 2023–Apr 8th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir.

Use caution on north and east slopes where strong winds have transported fresh snow into deep cohesive pockets that are possible to human trigger.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, several natural loose wet size 1-1.5 avalanches were reported on solar aspects.

On Wednesday, a few skier accidental, size 1, wind slab avalanches were reported on a northwest aspect at 2100 m. In steep north facing alpine terrain power sluffing from skier traffic was reported to easily gain mass and become loose dry avalanches up to size 1.5.

Snowpack Summary

+10 cm of recent storm snow overlies 15-30 cm of soft snow. A widespread crust is found down 20-40 cm, except on north-facing slopes at treeline and above, where it sits on old, faceted surfaces, and surface hoar in some areas.

The mid-pack is generally well-settled.

In some areas, the lower snowpack includes a layer of weak facets near the ground. No recent avalanches have been reported on this layer. However, we continue to track the layer and watch for any signs of it becoming active again.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with flurries, up to 10 cm accumulation. Ridgetop wind 40 km/h from the southwest. Freezing levels remain at 1500 m.

Saturday

Mainly cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Ridgetop wind 40 km/h from the southwest. Freezing levels 1700 m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud. Isolated flurries bring mixed precipitation, trace accumulation. Ridgetop wind 40 km/h gusting to 70 km/h from the southwest. Freezing levels 2000 m.

A storm impacts the region overnight bringing 10-20 mm of mixed precipitation and 2100 m freezing levels.

Monday

Cloudy with mixed precipitation, 35-50 mm accumulation. Ridgetop wind 60 km/h gusting to 80 km/h from the southwest. Freezing levels 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
  • Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
  • Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.
  • Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.