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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 3rd, 2025–Jan 4th, 2025

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

Regions

South Okanagan, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Sheltered terrain will offer the best and safest riding.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days but observations in this region are limited.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you see by submitting a MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find 20 to 40 cm of settling snow in sheltered areas and pockets of wind slabs in exposed areas at upper elevations. Soft snow covers a melt-freeze crust at lower elevations and on sun-affected slopes.

A layer buried in early December is 50 to 70 cm deep. This layer varies, in the north of the region in sheltered spots it's surface hoar while in the south it's typically a crust.

The lower snowpack is strong and settled south of Highway 1, and potentially weaker and more faceted north of Highway 1.

The snowpack is 100-150 cm deep at treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with up to 8 cm of new snow. 5 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with light flurries. 5 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 15 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 5 to 15 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.