Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
A cautious approach and conservative decision making is essential for the forecast period. Be aware of the terrain you are riding in AND how it connects with the rest of the mountain.
Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Cloudy with lingering snowfall. Expect up to 40cm of total accumulations. Winds should be strong southwesterlies with freezing levels climbing to 1100m.Thursday & Friday: Cloudy skies with temperatures to between -10 and -13 with light northwest winds.
Avalanche Summary
Isolated slabs up to 1.5 Continued sluffing in steep terrain to size 1.5.
Snowpack Summary
30-40cm of new snow has fallen recently. Moderate south/southwest winds have recently increased to strong values, magnifying the windslab development. Windslabs now extend lower into the terrain as opposed to being limited to the immediate lee of ridgelines. These windslabs are becoming reeactive to rider triggering.The January 4th interface consists predominantly of loose facets. In isolated locations (sheltered treeline and below treeline) surface hoar up to 12mm is present. There is a 1-3cm sun crust on steep south and west facing terrain. Above this interface is another surface hoar layer, creating a reactive sandwich of weak crystals. The storm snow is bonding poorly to this interface.The midpack is well bonded and strong. The November 28 surface hoar is still being found in isolated, sheltered below treeline locations buried 95-120cm. The deep crust/facet combo from early November still exists and concern remains (although unlikely) for triggering from a shallow spot.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.