Avalanche Forecast

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Clear skies above the valley cloud, light wind from the west, treeline temperatures drop to -10 C.

FRIDAY: Clear skies above the valley cloud, light to moderate wind from the west, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

SATURDAY: Clear skies above the valley cloud in the morning and then increasing high clouds in the afternoon, light to moderate wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

SUNDAY: Cloudy with scattered flurries bringing 5-10 cm of snow, moderate wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -7 C.

A few very small (size 1) skier triggered slab avalanches were reported north of Nelson on Wednesday. These slabs failed on a 20 cm deep surface hoar layer on north and east aspects, but were only 5 m wide. No notable avalanches have been reported since the weekend.

Recent weather has formed surface hoar crystals in sheltered areas and possibly sun crusts on solar aspects. These will become important layers to track once buried by new snow. There are several other crust and surface hoar layers buried 20-40 cm deep. These layers have shown variable results in snowpack tests and in many areas do not currently present as a problem. At this point they could produce isolated small avalanches like the ones described in the Avalanche Summary. A crust and facet layer near the bottom of the snowpack (100 to 200 cm deep) has been responsible for sporadic avalanche activity since early December, but is not a concern under the current weather conditions. 

• Exercise caution on steep, unsupported slopes.
• Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
• Carefully evaluate bigger terrain features on an individual basis before committing to them.