Avalanche Forecast

A unique situation of weather setting up as two systems, one from the north and one from the south, will push into the region early Tuesday evening through late Thursday, with increased amounts in the Monashees. Arctic air will return on early Friday, with bitterly cold and drier conditions for the weekend.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Snow 5-10 cm / Strong southwest wind / Low of -13 

WEDNESDAY: Snow 10-15 cm / Strong to extreme southwest wind / High -8

THURSDAY: Snow 10 cm / Moderate west wind / High of -12

FRIDAY: Flurries 5 cm / Moderate southwest wind / High of -15

Few natural wind slab avalanches (size 1.5) released out of alpine convexities. Riders were also able to trigger soft slabs while skiing steep lee slopes at treeline elevations. With the next storm, the likelihood of avalanches will increase in many areas.

If you go out in the mountains, please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Variable wind has affected the storm snow (20-35 cm) on alpine and treeline slopes, creating isolated small pockets of hard/firm slabs. Cold temperature was prone to develop weak surface snow grains, such as surface hoar, in sheltered areas at treeline elevation and below. 

The defining feature of the snowpack is a widespread crust that reaches as high as 2400 m and now sits 60-150 cm below the surface. In some places, overlying snow is well-bonded to the crust but in others, weak faceted grains have been observed above it. The faceting is most prominent at treeline where the crust is thinner. In areas where the crust is buried deeper than one meter, it starts to decompose and show sporadic reactivity.

• Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• If triggered, storm slabs in-motion may step down to deeper layers and result in very large avalanches.
• Avoid rock outcroppings, convexities, and anywhere the snowpack is thin and/or variable.