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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2025–Jan 8th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir.

As winds increase watch for fresh wind slab development at upper elevations.

Look for sheltered areas where snow is preserved and good quality riding can still be found.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

As of 4 pm on Tuesday, no new avalanches have been reported in the region.

On Monday, avalanche control produced several explosive-triggered storm slab avalanches up to size 2. Notably, avalanches did not step down to the December persistent weak layer.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a MIN report!

Snowpack Summary

Moderate westerly winds will redistribute available snow into fresh wind slabs at upper elevations. In sheltered areas, snow surfaces are faceting, creating good quality riding. On steep solar aspects, a thin melt-freeze crust covers the snow surface. Check this MIN from Norn for more details.

Down 50 to 120 cm weak layers of surface hoar or a facet/crust combo persist in the mid-snowpack. This layer is slowly gaining strength.

The lower snowpack is generally strong and well-bonded.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with light flurries, 1 to 3 cm. 15 to 30 km/h westerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with light flurries, 1 to 3 cm. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -6 °C.

Thursday

Mainly clear skies. 10 to 25 km/h southerly ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures around -5 °C.

Friday

Cloudy with light flurries, 5 to 10 cm. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
  • Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.
  • Start on smaller terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger terrain.

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.