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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 30th, 2023–Dec 1st, 2023

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, South Okanagan, Ymir, Shuswap, North Okanagan.

Early season hazards will be tougher to manage with grey skies and flurries in the forecast. Don't let poor visibility lead you into problematic terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days. This should stay the same until the region receives more snow.

Observations are limited this time of year. Please consider filling out a MIN report if you do head out in the backcountry! 🙏

Snowpack Summary

Surface conditions are a mix of increasingly large surface hoar topping a few cm of faceting snow in shaded, sheltered areas, sun crust on steep south and west-facing slopes, and heavy wind effect on exposed terrain at treeline and above.

A crust with facets or depth hoar beneath it exists near the ground.

Expect early-season conditions with a shallower-than-average snowpack. At treeline, snowpack depths are between 30-80 cm. Below treeline, snowpack depths taper quickly.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries, minimal accumulations. South or southwest alpine wind 5 to 15 km/h.

Friday

Cloudy with isolated flurries continuing from overnight, less than 5 cm total accumulation. Southwest alpine wind 10-20 km/h. Treeline temperature -7°C.

Saturday

Cloudy with flurries continuing from the overnight period bringing 10-15 total cm of new snow. Southwest alpine wind 30-50 km/h. Treeline temperature -5°C.

Sunday

Cloudy with snowfall, 10-15 cm accumulation. South alpine wind 40-60 km/h. Treeline temperature -5°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Expect shallow snow cover that barely covers ground roughness.
  • Winter conditions may exist in gullies, alpine bowls, and around ridgelines.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.

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.