Recent heavy snowfalls, mixed with warm temperatures, have created all kinds of funky ski conditions. On top of this, a very warm weekend will keep hazard elevated. A good weekend to ride a bike, or read a book...
Weather Forecast
A strong, warm ridge over BC heralds a dramatic rise in freezing levels. After a cool night on Thursday, expect the freezing level to remain in the Alpine through the weekend. Expect a mix of cloud, and hard-hitting sun, with a few flurries possible on Saturday or Sunday. Winds will be Westerly: Light, except Strong on Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
40cm of moist storm snow is sluffing during periods of daytime heating, rain, or solar input, but otherwise has bonded to buried Melt-Freeze Crusts below. These are strong, widespread, and are locking in the mid and lower snowpack. Expect a solid surface crust to form on Thursday night, but for surface snow to become & remain wet from Friday on.
Avalanche Summary
A widespread cycle of small (size 1 - 1.5) Loose Wet avalanches occurred on Thursday evening and Friday, during and after 10mm of rain / wet snowfall. Two large (Size 2) Loose Wet avalanches were observed Below Treeline on Bertha Peak, due to the Eastern ranges of the Park catching the bulk of Thursday night's precipitation.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Wet Slabs
Wet Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slabs can be very unpredictable and destructive.