North Columbia

Little precipitation along with recent winds blowing from a variety of directions will keep wind slabs at upper elevations the main concern.

Tuesday Night: Cloudy with clear periods. Light to moderate northwest wind. Alpine high temperatures around -9.

Wednesday: Cloudy with sunny breaks. Light west wind. Alpine high temperatures around -8. Freezing level 800 m.

Thursday: Flurries, accumulation 5-10 cm. Light to moderate southwest wind. Alpine high temperatures around -7. Freezing level 800 m

Friday: Scattered flurries. Moderate west wind. Alpine high temperatures around -9. Freezing level 700 m

Reports from Saturday, Sunday and Monday show numerous loose dry avalanche size 1-1.5 running in steep terrain in the alpine and at tree line. There were also a few skier and rider along with naturally triggered storm and wind slab avalanches size 1-1.5 on a variety of aspects in the alpine and at treeline.

30-60 cm of snow accumulating through the last week now overlies older wind-affected snow at high elevations, with about half this amount instead overlying a widespread melt-freeze or rain crust to a variable upper extent of 1700-2400 metres in elevation. Moderate to strong winds have redistributed this new snow onto a variety of aspects.

The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled and strong. Although isolated, there are two deeper weak layers that may persist in some areas. A weak layer of surface hoar buried 90 to 170 cm deep may be found across the north of the region while a facet/crust layer from November may be found near the ground in shallower snowpack areas.

• Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.
• Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
• Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.