Avalanche Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -7 C.

THURSDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with increasing cloud and flurries in the afternoon, moderate to strong south and southeast wind, alpine temperature -9 C.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5-10 cm, moderate to strong south wind, alpine temperature -4 C.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with flurries, accumulation 5 cm, moderate southeast wind, alpine temperature -4 C.

There are no new reports of avalanche activity in the past few days. I would suspect that wind slabs will increasingly become an issue as smaller amounts of snow continue to accumulate along with forecast winds to be steady moderate to strong from a southerly direction.

Snow has continued to accumulate over the past several days with several small snowfalls, along with moderate southwest wind. These conditions are expected to continue for the coming days, with small amounts of new snow and more moderate south to southwest wind.

Around Log Cabin, around 40 cm of snow may overlie a layer of surface hoar. This layer was the culprit of avalanche activity last week. This layer has not been reported elsewhere in the region.

A buried crust from early December can be found 60-100 cm below the surface, but most reports suggest the snow is well-bonded to it.

The lower snowpack is strong around White Pass, but there is potential for a generally thinner and weaker snowpack structure to exist in inland areas, such as the Wheaton Valley. 

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Sheltered slopes at lower elevations will offer the best riding.
• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.