Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

The clouds will clear out Saturday afternoon, giving way to pleasant weather on Easter Sunday. Back to moist spring weather on Monday afternoon/evening.SATURDAY: Isolated flurries (3-5cm possible) and occasional sunny breaks. Freezing level around 1600 m. Winds light-moderate westerly.SUNDAY: Clearing with some good sunshine. Freezing level rising to 2100 m in the afternoon. Winds light southerly. MONDAY: Snow late in the day (5-10cm) above 1900m. Winds 10-25 km/h from the south.

On Thursday, we had reports of touchy conditions in the Rossland Range with upwards of 35cm of new snow falling at treeline and above, running easily on a temperature crust. Several loose wet avalanches to Size 2 were reported near Kootenay Pass, running on all aspects between 1800m and 2100m elevation.

This region experienced a wide variation in snowfall amounts on Thursday - most areas saw 5-10 cm of wet heavy snow above 1600m; however, the Rossland Range was the 'bulls eye' for enhanced convective snowfall and received upwards of 35cm!The snow and shifting wind directions created fresh wind slabs on a variety of aspects at Treeline and above. The new snow will be prone to sliding in steep terrain where it is sitting on a crust. Cornices are large in some areas and could trigger large avalanches when they fail.