Avalanche Forecast

Moderate -

Moderate onshore flow will continue this weekend across the province maintaining flurry activity and bringing mostly cloudy conditions with a few sunny breaks. The next significant storm is expected to arrive Tuesday morning.FRIDAY NIGHT: Freezing level lowering to valley bottom, moderate southwest wind at most elevations with strong southwest wind at ridgetop, wind speed decreasing through the night, 2 to 5 cm of snow possible.SATURDAY: Broken cloud cover at dawn dissipating to just a few clouds by sundown, freezing level beginning at valley bottom rising to about 800 m throughout the day, light southerly wind with moderate gusts at ridgetop, no significant precipitation expected.SUNDAY: Overcast, freezing level holding around 600 m, light southerly breeze at most elevations with strong southwest wind at ridgetop, 2 to 8 cm of snow possibleMONDAY: Broken cloud cover, freezing level at valley bottom, light southerly wind, trace of snow possible.

On Thursday a widespread natural avalanche cycle produced avalanches to size 2 on all aspects above 1000 m.  Control work produced avalanches to size 2.5 on all aspects above 1400 m. Three different avalanches to size 1.5 were accidentally triggered by skiers on north facing terrain between 2000 and 2250 m.  On Wednesday avalanche activity was limited to dry loose avalanches in steep terrain. The exception was a report from the RMR backcountry where a group triggered a size 2.5 avalanche on a steep south/southeast facing terrain feature immediately lee of ridgecrest at approximately 2250 m. A ski was lost, but everyone made it out okay. Photos and additional details can be found here.On December 31st a notable avalanche occurred just north of the region. The large (size 3) persistent slab release was skier triggered below ridgecrest on a southwest aspect in the Connaught Creek area in Glacier National Park. Photo available here.

Thursday and Friday's storm produced 30 to 60 cm of new snow accompanied by moderate to strong wind out of the south. A 2 mm "zipper" (melt/freeze/mist) crust under the new snow has been reported in the mountains surrounding Revelstoke. Underneath the most recent storm snow is the 30 to 40 cm of snow that fell last weekend. There are a few reports of spotty surface hoar underneath all of this new snow, but for the most part the storm snow does not sit on any kind of persistent weak layer and is expected to rapidly settle this weekend as as precipitation slows and temperatures cool. An aspect dependant mix of facets, surface hoar, and sun crust was buried in mid-December. This interface is 80 to 140 cm below the surface and is now considered dormant. It is most prevalent on steep south-facing slopes in the alpine as well as north and east facing slopes between 1900 and 2300 m.The lower snowpack is generally strong and settled, with a crust that formed in late October near the bottom of the snowpack.