Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
The weekend storm snow sits on a weak layer and touchy conditions may persist for several more days. The deep mid-Dec layer remains a concern and isolated avalanches continue to step down to this layer.
Weather Forecast
A ridge of high pressure should keep the region dry until Friday. On Wednesday, mostly sunny conditions expected with freezing levels around 800m and light alpine wind. On Thursday, mostly sunny conditions expected again with freezing levels around 1000m and alpine wind increasing to moderate from the SW-W. Late-Thursday, a temperature inversion may form and an above-freezing layer of air is possible in the alpine. This warm air in the alpine is forecast to persist for Friday but there is some uncertainty whether the valleys will stay cold or not. On Friday, mostly cloudy conditions are expected and alpine winds are forecast to be moderate-to-strong from the SW-W. A weak frontal system is expected for Friday night.
Avalanche Summary
On Monday, a natural size 1.5 storm slab was reported. This released down 25-40cm on the mid-Jan surface hoar. Also reported were a few ski cuts and explosive triggered avalanches. These were typically size 1.5-2 and released on the mid-Jan layer. These occurred on north through east aspects between 1900 and 2100m. On Sunday, a skier remotely triggered a size 2 avalanche on the mid-Dec weak layer down around 50cm on an east aspect at treeline. A ski cut produce a size 1 avalanche on the mid-Jan weak layer down around 25cm. Explosives triggered several storm slabs up to size 2 on all aspects. Natural avalanche activity is generally not expected on Wednesday but remains possible in isolated areas such as steep sun exposed slopes.. Human-triggering is likely in wind loaded areas and steep terrain features, especially where surface hoar underlies the recent storm snow.
Snowpack Summary
Around 30cm of recent storm snow sits on the mid-Jan surface hoar layer. In many places the surface hoar sits above a thin crust that can be found up to about 1900m on north aspects and all the way to ridgeline on south aspects. A deeper crust/surface hoar combo buried in mid-December continues to be a concern. This layer can typically be found down 70-100cm. The reactivity of this deep persistent weak layer appears to have become isolated but still has the potential for large, destructive avalanches in some areas. The layer has been the most reactive at and just below treeline.
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.