Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
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Confidence
Fair - Wind speed and direction is uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Increasing cloud cover, light SW winds at valley bottom, strong NW winds at ridgetop. No precipitation, freezing level rising to 1500m. Wednesday: Mostly clear skies, winds decreasing to light NW throughout the day, no precipitation, freezing level rising to 1500m. Thursday: Broken skies, light variable winds at all elevations, no significant precipitation, freezing level rising to 1400m.
Avalanche Summary
Isolated small wind slabs on north aspects were reported Sunday, no other significant avalanche activity to report.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 5cm of snow covers a widespread layer of surface hoar above a crust that extends all the way to ridge crest. The curst is effectively "capping" the snowpack and doing a good job of protecting the buried weak layers bellow. However, I suspect that the mid-January surface hoar layer could still produce an avalanche if given a large enough trigger in the right spot. It can be found down about 1m in the alpine and 50-60cm at treeline. The mid-December crust/facet/surface hoar weakness may persist in the mid to lower snowpack at higher elevations.
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.