South Columbia

Watch for pockets of wind slab on steep, convex terrain.

Cold, clear weather looks set to continue through the weeekend.Saturday: Dry, temperatures around -25C, light NW winds.Sunday: Dry, temperatures around -20C, strong NW winds.Monday. A few flurries, maybe 1-2 cm new snow. Temperatures around -16C. Strong NW winds.

One size 1.5 skier-triggered avalanche was reported on 5-Dec near Revelstoke on a N aspect at 2200 m in a pocket of windslab. Crown depth was up to 40 cm.

Poor - Due to the number of field observations

Snowpack depths are typically 100-140 cm at treeline elevation. The previous storm snow (~30-60cm) overlies the late-November interface which typically consists of sun crusts on steep south facing slopes and surface hoar in sheltered areas. Some buried surface hoar has been reported on south aspect slopes near Revelstoke. These weak layers are expected to be persistent, although in many areas the upper slab is not yet stiff enough for slab avalanches. When temperatures rise, and we get additional snow, expect this interface to become a more dangerous problem. Strong NE winds after the storm caused reverse loading and wind slab formation on SE through W aspects in wind exposed areas. Lower snowpack layers include a surface hoar layer roughly 60cm above the ground and an early season rain crust at the base of the snowpack. While these layers have recently become inactive, residual risk of large, destructive avalanches exists, especially in areas with a thinner snowpack. The October crust can be found in the alpine on north aspects and the early November surface hoar appears to be isolated and drainage specific.