Avalanche Forecast

Following warm temperatures and crust formation to treeline on solar aspects Friday, a cold front that will pass overnight will bring cooling, clouds, and up to 5cm of snow. While daytime freezing levels may approach 2000m Saturday, continued cooling, cloud and a bit of snow can be expected into Sunday as a second cold front reaches the divide. 

Treeline height of snowpack average values range from 100 to 170cm. The Feb 11 layer is of crust and isolated surface hoar is down 30 to 50cm. The Jan 6 layer of Facet Crystals is the dominant snowpack feature and is down about 50cm. This layer is producing whumpfing, cracking and has been responsible for much of the recent avalanche activity.

Limited amounts of wet loose snow avalanches were observed today in sheltered alpine bowls as well as treeline and below on solar aspects. On Wednesday a large slab was triggered by a cornice up high on the Wapta. On Tuesday a small sluff ran over the French Reality Ice Climb in Kootenay and triggered a 100 cm deep slab on the slope below.