Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

On Tuesday in the northern Monashees, a vehicle remote-triggered a size 2.5 persistent slab avalanche on the mid-November layer. Explosives control produced several size 3 and a size 3.5 persistent slab avalanches.

On Monday, a pair of size 2 human-triggered avalanches were reported in the RMR backcountry. These included a skier accidental and a skier remote from 50 m away on the mid-November layer.

Several natural storm slab avalanches were reported, up to size 2, every day this week. Several natural persistent slab avalanches, up to size 3, were also reported. These larger avalanches may have been triggered by solar warming in the afternoons and released or 'stepped down' from smaller avalanches onto deeper instabilities.

Snowpack depths are highly variable and range from 90cm at treeline to 200cm in the alpine in wind-affected locations.

Surface: 5 - 8mm surface hoar has formed in sheltered areas on the surface of the snowpack. A sun crust is found on steep solar slopes above 2000m. Northerly winds are creating wind slabs in lees and cross-loading features at higher elevations.

Upper-pack: A 40 - 50 cm soft slab overlies a weak layer of 5 mm surface hoar in sheltered and shaded terrain and a sun crust on sunny south-facing slopes.

Mid-pack: Buried 60 to 90cm deep, is a persistent weak layer of surface hoar, crust, and faceted crystals. This layer has been most reactive at treeline between 1700-2200 m, but it was also observed as low as 1450 m and on all aspects.

Lower-pack: Below the mid-November layer is a generally weak, faceted snowpack.

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy skies. Northerly ridge wind 20 km/h gusting to 40 km/hr. Alpine temperatures, high of -10. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Thursday

Partly cloudy skies. Northerly ridge winds 20-30 km/h gusting to 40 km/hr. Alpine temperatures, high of -8. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Friday

Partly cloudy skies. Isolated flurries Friday evening in the northern Selkirks, trace accumulation. Northwesterly ridge winds 30 - 40 km/h, gusting to 60 km/h in the Monashees. Possible alpine inversion, temperatures reach a high of -6. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Saturday

Cloudy skies. Light flurries, 2 cm accumulation. Northeasterly ridge winds 30 km/h.  Alpine temperatures, high of -9. Freezing levels valley bottom.

 

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to the presence of deeply buried weak layers.
• Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
• Minimize exposure during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.