Avalanche Forecast

Light snow and flurries will continue in most areas as a cold northeasterly flow begins to assert itself at the surface. This will bring persistent cloudiness and light snowfall amounts through the Christmas weekend.

Thursday Night: New snow 5-10 cm accompanied by moderate southwest wind. Treeline temperatures -8 and freezing level at the valley bottom.

Friday: New snow 5-10 cm with strong southerly winds. Treeline temperatures near -10 and freezing levels near 800 m.

Saturday: Cloudy with scattered flurries moderate southwest wind. Treeline temperatures near -10 and freezing levels at the valley bottom.

Sunday: Cloudy with some flurries up to 5 cm. Light winds from the southwest and colder temperatures at -13. 

On Thursday several size 2 natural slab avalanches were reported. Numerous explosive triggered storm slabs were also seen up to size 2. 

Natural avalanche activity may taper on Friday but the storm slab could be primed for human triggering. 

20-30 cm of recent storm snow overlies a thin freezing rain crust and a surface hoar interface.

Below the new snow exists a well-consolidated snowpack that overlies a substantial crust that formed in early December. This crust is approximately 70-100 cm below the surface, 10 cm thick on average, and is present across all aspects to at least 2300m. A layer of weak facets (sugary snow) has been reported above this crust. 

The lower snowpack is composed of several early-season crusts. Snow depths at treeline average 150-200 cm. Below 1800 m the snowpack remains relatively shallow with 80-120 cm on average. The deepest snowpack can be found in the Kootenay Pass area.

• Storm snow and wind is forming touchy slabs. Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline.
• Don't be too cavalier with decision making, storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
• Start with conservative lines and watch for clues of instability.
• Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to the presence of buried persistent weak layers.