A buried weak layer is going to be tested again by another intense storm.
Avoid avalanche terrain as the snowpack adjusts to the increased load.
Avoid steep, open slopes at all elevations. The combination of surface hoar in sheltered areas, and a crust/facet combo everywhere else, makes for a tricky problem to manage. Choose conservative terrain.
New storm slabs will likely build with incoming snow and wind. Leeward slopes are especially dangerous.
No new avalanches were reported on Tuesday.
On Monday, there were two large persistent slab avalanches triggered with explosives at treeline near Invermere.
On Saturday, there were several large (size 3) natural avalanches near Panorama. Likely failing on the persistent weak layer.
An intense storm is expected to add to the 5 to 15 cm of snow that fell on Monday.
Around 50 to 90 cm deep lies a potential weak layer of faceted snow at higher elevations, and surface hoar at lower elevations.
A mid-November melt-freeze crust is buried 60 to 100 cm below the surface at lower-alpine elevations (around 2400 m) and below, but this crust appears to be absent in higher-alpine terrain.
Snowpack depths at treeline range from 90 to 140 cm and decrease rapidly at lower elevations.
Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 20 to 25 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.
Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. Up to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
