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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 7th, 2024–Mar 8th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir, Crawford, Moyie, St. Mary, Kokanee, Valhalla.

Triggering large avalanches is a serious concern as illustrated in this PHOTO BLOG.

Stick to low-angle slopes, avoid overhead hazards, and choose smaller objectives.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Many very large (size 3.5) persistent slab avalanches occurred in the Selkirks on Monday to Wednesday. Most were natural and explosive-triggered, but there was also a notable size 3.5 avalanche remote-triggered from a ridgeline in the Bonningtons on Tuesday. A notable incident occurred in the south Purcells on Sunday.

Smaller storm slab avalanches also occurred over the past few days, but the persistent slab problem should dominate terrain choices.

Snowpack Summary

Surface conditions currently include settling powder, sun crusts, and lightly wind-affected snow in higher open areas.

A prominent crust is found 100 to 150 cm below the surface, with several potential weak layers above it including facets, surface hoar, and thin decomposing crusts. These layers continue to produce concerning avalanches across the region.

The snow below the crust is generally strong and bonded.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mostly clear skies. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Friday

Mostly sunny with a few clouds. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow in the Monashees and Selkirks and a mix of sun and cloud in the Purcells. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low-angle, well-supported terrain with no overhead hazard.
  • Avoid being on or under sun exposed slopes.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.