Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 8th, 2023–Apr 9th, 2023

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Treeline

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

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

Moderate to strong southwest winds may have built fresh wind slabs at higher elevations.

Seek out sheltered terrain but keep an eye on how warming temperatures are affecting the top layer of snow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in our region on Friday.

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

Wednesday saw a few skier accidental, size 1, wind slab avalanches on northwest aspects 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

By Sunday morning around 10 to 20 cm of storm snow will overlie 15 to 30 cm of soft snow. A widespread crust is found down 30 to 50 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

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy with some clear periods, trace accumulation, winds southwest 25 to 35 km/h, freezing levels staying above 1500 m.

Sunday

Cloudy, 2 to 5 cm accumulation late in the day, winds south 30 to 40 km/h, freezing levels potentially getting up to 2100 m.

Monday

Mostly cloudy, 10 to 15 cm accumulation by the morning with another 30 cm of wet snow during the day, winds southwest 30 km/h gusting to 60, freezing levels as high as 2200 m.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 30 to 35 km/h, freezing levels back down to around 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.
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.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.