Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 29th, 2024–Mar 1st, 2024

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
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.

Danger avalanche conditions persist. The recent storm snow has buried a touchy weak layer and human triggering remains a serious concern. Conservative decision-making remains critical.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Numerous natural, skier, and remotely triggered avalanches up to size 3 have been reported in the past few days throughout the region. These avalanches failed on layers below the recent storm snow, the mid-February weak layer, and the early-February facet/crust layer.

While natural activity should begin to taper off on Friday, human triggering is expected to remain a serious concern.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 70 cm of storm snow has accumulated over the past week. This new snow has formed touchy slabs, especially in wind-exposed terrain, and may sit over a weak interface in some areas.

A weak layer of facets, surface hoar, and/or a crust from mid-February may be found down 40 to 80 cm.

A widespread crust formed in early February is buried roughly 60 to 100 cm and extends up to 2400 m. Weak facets have been found above this crust. This layer has produced many concerning avalanches across the province.

The lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with up to 15 cm of new snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with scattered flurries up to 8 cm. 20 to 40 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with up to 10 cm of new snow. 30 to 50 km/h southeast alpine wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks and a chance of flurries. 10 to 20 km/h southwest alpine wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
  • Only the most simple non-avalanche terrain free of overhead hazard is appropriate at this time.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.

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.