Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Badshot-Battle, Goat, Kokanee, Retallack.
It's uncertain which slopes have a persistent problem. Manage it by choosing conservative terrain free from terrain traps.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday, several small wind slabs were triggered by riders. Some of them failing on buried surface hoar 30 cm deep.
On Friday, several small (up to size 1.5) natural and human-triggered wind slab and dry loose avalanches were reported. A few large (up to size 2.5) natural avalanches were also reported in extreme alpine terrain.
No avalanches have been reported on the early December persistent weak layer since January 6, northwest of Kaslo.
Snowpack Summary
Expect to find 20 to 30 cm of soft snow in sheltered areas, and wind slabs below exposed alpine and treeline ridges.
Below the recent snow, there are potentially a couple different layers of large, feathery surface hoar crystals. They may be resting on a crust on slopes that face the sun.
A widespread surface hoar/facet/crust layer from early December is buried 70 to 120 cm. This layer is trending to unreactive in much of the region, but it's not fully healed. It was most recently active south of Trout Lake and east of Slocan Lake on north through east-facing slopes between 1700 and 2300 m.
At treeline, snow depths range from 135 to 200 cm.
Weather Summary
Sunday Night
Cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Monday
A mix of sun and clouds. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Tuesday
Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Wednesday
A mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
- Carefully evaluate big and steep terrain features before committing to them.
- Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
- Pay attention to isolated wind affected features in the alpine, as well as cross-loaded features at treeline.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
The early December weak layer is showing signs of strengthening, but it's not fully bonded.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 2 - 3.5
Wind Slabs
Wind slabs may remain triggerable for longer than normal due to buried surface hoar.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2