Bring your rock skis/boards to enjoy the backcountry! Shallow, early season conditions exist and if the slope looks bumpy, it's probably something hard under the snow looking to hurt you. Ride conservatively until things get deeper.
Weather Forecast
The weekend should bring a mix of sun and cloud, with light, scattered flurries. Freezing levels will stay below 1000m and winds will be light westerlies at ridge-top. The next significant change to the weather may arrive Tuesday night, with a more westerly pattern coming through and delivering 10-15cm of snow.
Snowpack Summary
Snow depths vary from 30cm at Rogers Pass, to 130-150cm in alpine areas. Sheltered areas at and above tree-line are holding unconsolidated snow, but pockets of wind-slab exist in immediate lee areas. A melt-freeze crust in the bottom 50cm of the snowpack is an early layer of concern, especially in the alpine on open, planar slopes.
Avalanche Summary
The last few days have been quiet for avalanche activity. Earlier in the week several size 2 loose avalanches were observed from steep, N-facing terrain along the highway and up the Connaught drainage.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
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.