Avalanche Forecast

Wednesday Night: Snow amounts 10-20 cm and ridgetop wind moderate from the South. Alpine temperatures near -3 and freezing levels 600 m.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with some sunny periods and snow 5-15 cm. Ridgetop wind light with strong gusts from the southeast. Alpine temperatures 0 degrees and freezing levels 1200 m. 

Friday: Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Ridgetop wind moderate from the South. Alpine temperatures near -4 and freezing levels 700 m. 

Saturday: Mix of sun and cloud with ridgetop wid light from the South. Alpine temperatures near -5 and freezing levels 500 m.

On Wednesday, a notable persistent slab size 3 was reported. It was possibly a day old, however; the suspect failure plane was the mid-February weak layer. Numerous natural storm slabs were also reported.

Over the weekend a widespread natural avalanche cycle occurred up to size 3 and explosive control initiated numerous size 2-3 storm slabs and persistent slabs.

The storm looks to taper off Thursday however snowfall amounts due vary across the region. With rising freezing levels and all of this recent snow and wind, the avalanche danger will remain elevated through the day.

It's a good time to stay very conservative, stick to simple terrain, and be aware of overhead hazards like large avalanche paths and cornices. 

60-100 cm of recent storm snow blanketed the region over the past week. This was accompanied by strong to extreme southwest winds building deeper wind slabs on leeward slopes. Massive cornices exist on ridgelines at treeline and in the alpine. Below treeline moist snow sits on a melt-freeze crust. 

Snowfall accumulation now brings 1-2 metres over the plethora of old snow surfaces buried mid-February and deeper down buried late January. These old persistent weak layers comprise of hard wind-packed snow, feathery surface hoar crystals especially in areas sheltered from the wind, and sugary faceted snow that developed during the cold snap. These weak layers have been the result of several larger avalanches in the past week. 

The mid-pack has been reported as being well-settled. There are presently no deeper concerns 

• Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
• Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
• Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
• Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain as temperatures increase.
• Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low-angle, well-supported terrain with no overhead hazard.