Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Due to the number and quality of field observations

A cold front descending from the North is going to bring between 5 and 20 cm of snow over the next couple of days. The greatest snowfall accumulations are expected for the Dogtooth Mountains around Golden. By Wednesday a high pressure system will settle over BC bringing several days of chilly but stable weather.

I'm working with limited observations but there weren't any reports of new avalanche activity over the weekend. However, given the presence of wind slabs and a lingering basal weakness on north to east facing terrain in the alpine I am concerned that smaller wind slab avalanches could possibly step down to deeper layers.

The forecast snow will fall on a variety of old surfaces. In the north of the region, folks were finding low density powder snow, deep trail breaking and great riding conditions over the weekend. Here the new snow will hide pockets of fresh wind slab on east and northeast aspects. Further south, around Kimberly, reports on the Mountain Information network suggest that a surface crust can be found up to 2200m. Below this we're dealing with a complex snowpack. A couple of layers of surface hoar formed earlier in the month. Where they exist, they are likely to be found down 50 to 100 cm below the surface. Depending on where you dig, you could also find one, or more crusts. It would be wise to test these layers before committing to a slope. Facets may exist just above the ground on shaded slopes in the alpine. Remember that it's still a young snowpack. Rocks and stumps may be lurking unseen just below the surface. Ride with care!