Several weak layers are buried in the snowpack making now a good time to dig a snow profile before choosing where to ride. If you do dig - we'd love to hear what you find. Click on the pin icon to the submit to the Mountain Information Network
Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
A front will move over the interior of the province bringing precipitation overnight through Sunday with expected accumulations of between 10 and 20cm of snow. Temperatures are forecast to rise briefly at the end of the some storm and lower elevations may see rain. Moderate southwesterly winds will prevail through the storm. The rest of the forecast period will see a clearing pattern as a strong ridge builds that looks to last through the rest of the week.
Avalanche Summary
The forecast snow and wind are expected to drive a natural avalanche cycle on Sunday. Conditions are likely to be especially touchy in wind-loaded features at tree line where fresh slabs will be sitting on a layer of surface hoar.
Snowpack Summary
The forecast precipitation will add load to the layer surface hoar surface hoar and or crust which exists in many places up to 1900m. At higher elevation it wil fall on old, stiff wind slabs. 75 cm below the surface you may find a hard, thick crust that was buried in mid-December. In many places this crust is overlaid by facets and/or surface hoar. In areas where the overlying slab is thick and cohesive, large avalanches are possible at this interface. Closer to the ground a crust/facet interface that formed in November seems to be dormant for the time being.
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.
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.