Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Thursday: 5-15cm of new snow / Moderate southwest winds / Freezing level at 1100m Friday: 3-5cm of new snow / Light southerly winds / Freezing level at 1100mSaturday: Continued light flurries / Light southerly winds / Freezing level at 700m

On Tuesday a naturally-triggered size 1 storm slab was observed around Kootenay Pass. The avalanche occurred on a southeast aspect at about 2100m, and is thought to have failed on the recently buried crust. More storm slab activity is expected in response to new snow and wind on Thursday.We currently have very limited observations in this region. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Up to 30cm of new snow has fallen in the past few days. At higher elevations, southerly winds (gusting strong at times) likely redistributed the new snow, forming wind slabs on lee features.Below the recent storm snow you may find a couple of crusts which formed during last week's rain. That said, little is known about the reactivity of these crusts or the elevation bands at which you're likely to find them. Last week's heavy rain to the mountaintops really shrunk the snowpack and has transitioned much of the snowpack from dry to moist snow. The depth of the snowpack varies greatly with elevation. Recent reports suggest the average depth is 100-170cm in the alpine, 50-100cm at treeline, and decreasing rapidly below treeline where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks. We currently have very limited snowpack observations within this region and it is critical to supplement this information with your own observations.