Avalanche Forecast

FRIDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -14 C, freezing level below valley bottom.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine temperature -11 C, freezing level below valley bottom.

SUNDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine temperature -6 C, freezing level 500 m.

MONDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level 800 m.

Many small (size 1) wind slabs were triggered naturally and by humans on Thursday. They were most often triggered on northwest to northeast aspects but some occurred on south aspects as well. The slab depth ranged from 15 to 60 cm deep and they occurred at treeline and alpine elevations. Two large (size 2 to 2.5) wind slabs were also triggered, suggesting that the wind slabs have the capability of propagating far.

Persistent slab activity has tapered off, although there have been occasional reports of large (size 3) explosive triggered avalanches in alpine terrain (one or two a week).

Recent winds have switched from northeast to southwest, indicating that wind slabs can be found in exposed terrain on all aspects. In sheltered terrain, around 30 cm of recent soft snow exists. A thin melt-freeze crust can be found 50-100 cm below the surface in many areas, and beneath that is a layer of surface hoar that is roughly 80-120 cm deep in the Selkirks and 120-160 cm deep in the Monashees. A facet/crust layer from late November lingers near the bottom of the snowpack. These layers appear to be unreactive at the moment, but could reappear as problems in the future.

• Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
• Be aware of the potential for wide propagation.