Avalanche forecast

Kootenay Boundary

Jan 13 – 14, 2025Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 2 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Conditions are generally safe, but small wind slabs may be possible on steep slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Recent winds have heavily affected surfaces, potentially leaving some small wind slabs on steep open slopes.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity has been minimal this week, with only a few small wind slabs reported in steep alpine terrain over the weekend.

Snowpack Summary

Westerly winds have impacted the snowpack in many open areas, making soft surfaces scarce. About 5 to 15 cm of recent snow sits on variable interfaces, including surface hoar in sheltered areas and sun crusts on solar aspects. These interfaces may be deeper on wind-loaded slopes.

A previous weak layer from early December (surface hoar or facet/crust combo) is found 50 to 120 cm deep, but snowpack tests and lack of recent activity suggest it's no longer a concern.

The lower snowpack is generally strong and bonded.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny. 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Wednesday

Sunny. 15 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • This is a good time for exploring terrain.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

Regions covered