Buried weak layers sit beneath the new snow and have shown signs of being reactive to human triggers. Approach steep and convex terrain very cautiously.
Summary
Confidence
High -
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy with some sunny breaks in the afternoon, light west wind, freezing level rising to around 1000 m.WEDNESDAY: Sunny, moderate southwest wind, freezing level rising to around 1300 m.THURSDAY: Increasing cloud and light flurries starting in the afternoon, moderate southwest wind, freezing level rising to around 1300 m.
Avalanche Summary
On Sunday, a skier triggered a large avalanche on a north treeline slope in the Rossland area that failed on a surface hoar layer 80 cm below the surface. Skiers in the Rossland area also experience whumpfing and ski cut a size 1 wind slab on a east aspect at 1700 m. Elsewhere in the region, a natural wind slab was observed on a northwest aspect at 2150 m and explosive control produced numerous size 2 storm slabs on south aspects.On Saturday, explosive control produced several size 1-2 storm slabs in the top 15-30 cm of snow.
Snowpack Summary
Isolated flurries have delivered sporadic and localized accumulations of new snow. Snowfall amounts from the past week are 40-60 cm with the exception of the Rossland area which received 80-100 cm.A mix of interfaces 50-100 cm below the surface will potentially remain reactive to human triggering and have given sudden results in recent snowpack tests. This includes small surface hoar on polar aspects and a sun crust on solar aspects.Two deeper weak layers that formed in January and December are gradually gaining strength. Several surface hoar and facet layers are buried 1 to 2 m below the surface and there is a crust/ facet interface near the base of the snowpack. No avalanches have been reported on these layers for a few weeks and they are thought to have gone dormant at this time.
shorton,
Avalanche Canada
