Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bonnington, Crawford, Grohman, Kokanee, Kootenay Boundary, Kootenay Pass, Moyie, Norns, Retallack, Rossland, South Okanagan, St. Mary, Valhalla, Ymir.
It's a great time to get up high in the backcountry.
Remember to practice good travel habits, watch for signs of instability, and assess for wind loading as you go.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on Wednesday.
A few small, dry loose avalanches were triggered by riders and explosives on Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
Variable snow surfaces exist including crusts, moist snow, wind-affected snow, and settled powder.
The upper snowpack contains several crusts buried 30 to 50 cm deep. Below that are a couple of layers of surface hoar that have been made difficult to trigger by the thick crusts above.
Snowpack depth at treeline is 70 to 130 cm. Snow depth tapers dramatically at lower elevations.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow, west alpine wind 15 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow, southwest alpine wind 15 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
Friday
A mix of sun and clouds with 0 to 1 cm of snow, northwest alpine wind 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow, south alpine wind 35 to 60 km/h easing through the day, treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.