Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bonnington, Crawford, Grohman, Kootenay Boundary, Kootenay Pass, Moyie, Norns, Rossland, St. Mary, Ymir.
Conditions are generally safe, but small wind slabs may be possible on steep 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.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent winds have heavily affected surfaces, potentially leaving some small wind slabs on steep open slopes.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5