Recent snowfall amounts have been highly variable throughout the region. In some areas (particularly the Monashees where accumulations were reported to be the highest), Treeline and Below Treeline danger ratings may be higher than posted.
Weather Forecast
Monday: A mix of sun and cloud with the possibility of light flurries / Light northeast winds / Alpine temperature of -10.0Tuesday: Clear skies / Light north winds / Ridgetop temperature of -18.0Wednesday: Clear skies / Light winds / Ridgetop temperature of -18.0
Avalanche Summary
No reports of recent avalanche activity have been received. This likely speaks more to the lack of observations rather than actual conditions.
Snowpack Summary
Recent storm accumulations have been highly variable throughout the region with roughly 30cm falling in the Selkirks and close to double that in some parts of the Monashees. This new storm slab will increase in reactivity and destructive potential as it deepens or in areas where it has been redistributed and compressed by wind. The new snow covers a variety of old surfaces which include: old wind slabs at higher elevations, melt-freeze crusts on previously sun-exposed slopes and touchy surface hoar in sheltered terrain.In the mid snowpack you may find a layer of surface hoar buried in mid-November ranging from 90cm-130cm in depth. An October crust/facet combo exists near the base of the snowpack. The most likely place you'd trigger this layer is on smooth, planar, high north facing slopes, especially if the snowpack is unusually shallow in that area.These persistent layers are slowly becoming more difficult to trigger. However, they have the potential to cause large and destructive avalanches, and may 'wake-up' with the increased load of the new snow.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
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.