Purcells

A predominantly weak and facetted lower snowpack remains the primary avalanche concern.

Numerous natural, rider and explosively triggered avalanches have been reported since the end of last week, predominantly small in size (1 and 1.5) and storm or wind slab avalanches.

Of note was a large (size 2.5) avalanche that scrubbed down to basal facets, which occurred over the weekend in very steep alpine terrain, on a northerly aspect.

If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Approximately 30 cm of new snow over the last week sits atop a shallow and generally weak snowpack.

Several problematic weak layers exist deep within the snowpack. Of greatest concern are weak facets and/or depth hoar located at the bottom of the snowpack, especially in alpine terrain.

Snowpack depths at treeline range from 60 to 150 cm.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy with trace snow amounts, west alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -12 °C.

Thursday

Partly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow, variable alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature dropping from -15 °C to -25 °C.

Friday

Sunny with no precipitation, north alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -32 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
• If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
• Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.