Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

• We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Numerous storm slabs were observed in the region on Saturday and Friday. Most of these avalanches occurred at treeline and below and failed on the late January surface hoar/crust layer described in the snowpack summary. They have been reported to have propagated widely (up to 300 m). While most of them were small (size 1 to 1.5), explosive controls near Fernie produced large slabs (up to 2.5).

15 to 30 cm of snow now overlies the late January surface hoar/crust layer. This new snow has been accompanied by strong south and west winds, meaning that the crust is still on the surface on southerly aspects, while deeper deposits are found on north and east aspects.

The late January surface hoar is largest on sheltered treeline and below treeline features from 1500 to 1900 meters and may not exist on exposed terrain in the alpine.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled.

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Monday
A mix of sun and clouds. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
• Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.