New snow and wind will cause avalanche hazard to increase. Use extra caution in areas with recent wind loading
Skin tracks and certain terrain features that were used last week may not be appropriate this weekend!
Be on the watch for loose surface snow sluffing in steep terrain, and confined gullies. New snow will be more likely to slide where it sits on a suncrust or sugary facetted old snow.
20-30cms of new snow with moderate to strong gusting winds will have created storm slabs on lee features and cross-loaded slopes. These slabs will be most reactive if sitting on old sugary snow or a hard sun crust.
No new avalanches were observed in the past few days.
Last weekend saw warm temps trigger a loose, wet avalanche cycle. One of these avalanches stepped down to the Dec 1st surface hoar layer, triggering a large slab avalanche. This is indicative that a large load, in a shallow, faceted zone, could step down to the weak layers in the snowpack.
20-30cms of storm snow with moderate to strong winds has created a storm slab in the alpine and exposed areas at treeline. This new snow sits on sun crust on solar aspects; firm wind effect in the alpine; and soft facetted snow on sheltered N aspects.
Below 2100m there is a strong rain crust down 40-60cm (from Dec 5th/6th).
The Dec 1 surface hoar, down 60-100cm, has seen isolated deep pockets "pop" out in steeper, alpine terrain.
Record low snowpack for the Park.
Storms this weekend will bring much needed snow to Roger's Pass.
Tonight: Flurries : 12cm, Alpine low -9°C, Ridgetop winds: SW 20 gusting 60km/hr.
Sat: Scattered flurries: 11cm, High -7°C, North winds 10-25 km/hr.
Sun: Cloudy with sunny periods, Low -17°C, High -12°C, Light W wind.
Mon: Scattered flurries , Low -17, High -11°C, Light gusting moderate SW winds.
