Avalanche Forecast

In the neighbouring region, many natural and skier triggered persistent slab avalanches occurred on the facets above the early-February melt-freeze crust described in the Snowpack Summary. They occurred on northerly aspects between 1600 and 2000 m and were 50 to 80 cm thick.

Riders could trigger similar avalanches in the coming days. Persistent slab problems take a while to heal so giving them time is warranted.

30 to 40 cm of recent snow sits on a variety of layers that it may not bond well to, including surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, weak facets, or a hard melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed south and west-facing slopes. The wind has likely formed thicker deposits in lee terrain features near ridges.

A thick and hard widespread crust that formed in early February is buried about 50 to 70 cm deep. This crust may have a layer of facets above it, which makes it a troublesome avalanche layer.

The remainder of the snowpack is settled.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy. 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -25 °C.

Tuesday

Clear skies with afternoon clouds. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Use conservative route selection and resist venturing out into complex terrain.
• Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
• Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
• Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
• Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.