Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Watch for areas where recent snow has formed slabs, such as wind loaded terrain and slopes being hit by the sun.
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with clear periods, light northeast wind, alpine temperatures drop to -12 C.SUNDAY: Sunny, light northwest wind, alpine high temperatures near -7 C, freezing level 1200 m.MONDAY: Clear skies with afternoon clouds, 15-30 km/h southwest wind, alpine high temperatures near -7 C, freezing level 1200 m.TUESDAY: 10-15 cm of snow, light northwest wind, alpine high temperatures near -5 C, freezing level 1200 m.
Avalanche Summary
A few small loose dry avalanches were reported on Saturday. On Friday, numerous small (size 1) loose dry avalanches were observed in treeline and alpine terrain, being triggered naturally and by skiers.
Snowpack Summary
Around 15 to 25 cm of recent snow overlies wind-affected snow in exposed terrain, soft and faceted snow in sheltered areas, and a melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects.Two layers of weak surface hoar crystals are buried in the snowpack between 40 and 80 cm deep, which were buried mid-February and early-February. The layers may be associated with a melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects. Avalanche activity on these layers have tapered, but it may still be possible to trigger an avalanche on these layers in isolated areas such as steep cutblocks and large open glades.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.