Avalanche Forecast

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Overcast with light to moderate west or northwest winds on Wednesday and Thursday. Some light snow or flurries expected over the next few days. Some heavier precipitation and strong winds may arrive by Friday afternoon or evening. Daytime freezing levels near 1000 metres and overnight lows around valley bottoms.

Some sluffing of the recent surface snow in steep terrain was reported on Sunday from the Kootenay Pass area. Reports suggest that there is enough snow for avalanches at treeline and in the alpine. Wind slabs may have formed on Sunday night. In parts of the region where they exist, these slabs will likely be stiffest and most reactive in higher elevation wind loaded areas. Due to the current lack of regular observations, we cannot yet issue avalanche problems or danger ratings for the region. If you are out in the mountains, please consider contributing to the Mountain Information Network and help us improve the forecast.

Early season snowpack observations are still very limited in the region, but the threshold for avalanches has been exceeded at treeline and in the alpine. The snowpack depth is reported to be 120-150cm at treeline. Remote weather data and recent Mountain Information Network posts from the Kootenay Pass area suggest wind slabs may exist on lee slopes just below ridge crest; however, we are unsure of the reactivity or the distribution of the problem throughout the region. A thick crust from mid-November is down around 70cm and recent reports suggest the layer is generally well bonded to the adjacent snow. Below this crust layer the snowpack is reported to be moist or wet to the ground at treeline elevation.