Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Expect a mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries for the forecast period. Ridgetop winds are expected to remain mainly light to moderate from the southwest while freezing levels should hover around valley bottom. For a more detailed weather overview, check out our Mountain Weather Forecast at avalanche.ca/weather.

Patterns in avalanche activity seem quite variable across the region. Continued reports from Valemount suggest that the recent storm snow is mostly unconsolidated, and not reacting as a slab yet. In other areas the storm snow is very easy to trigger where it is sitting on a widespread layer of surface hoar. We had a recent report from the Wells Grey area of a skier remotely triggering a size 2 avalanche that was 35 cm deep from 20 metres away. This avalanche was 80 metres wide and released on buried surface hoar in the alpine. This group also reported numerous whumpfs during the day which speaks to the touchy conditions in this area.

20-60 cm of recent storm snow overlies a mix of weak surfaces which formed in early January. These include widespread surface hoar, facets, and possible sun crusts on steep southerly aspects. In the Valemount area, reports suggest the snow which overlies this layer is generally loose, unconsolidated and therefore less likely to react as a slab. In deeper snowpack areas to the south and west I would anticipate increased reactivity at this touchy interface, especially in areas where the overlying slab is deep and has gained cohesion through wind pressing, warming, and/or settlement. In general, the mid and lower snowpack are strong with any weak layers considered dormant for now. Snowpack depths are variable and shallow snowpack areas may have weak facetted crystals near the ground.