Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Storm slabs from the recent snowfall may be reactive to human-triggering. Avoid recently wind loaded areas and be prepared to back off to mellow terrain.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods, light northwest winds, alpine temperatures at -12.TUESDAY: Clear skies, light north winds, alpine temperatures at -14.WEDNESDAY: Clear skies, light winds, alpine temperatures at -16.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanche observations have been submitted. Recent snowfall with moderate southwest winds has likely formed fresh storm slabs, especially at higher elevations.
Snowpack Summary
10-20 cm of new snow fell in the region on Saturday night, adding to the existing storm slab problem. Expect storm slabs to be most reactive at higher elevations and where winds have deposited greater amounts of snow. A thin surface hoar layer that formed last week may exist beneath the recent storm snow. A thick melt-freeze crust from mid-November is down around 75 cm. Recent observations indicate the layer is generally well bonded to the adjacent snow; however, reports of sudden test results in the South Columbia region suggest we shouldn't write this layer off just yet. The snowpack below the crust is generally strong and well-settled. Snowpack depths are 130-160 cm at treeline elevations.
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.