Avalanche Forecast

Rising temps, increased winds and up to 30 cm of snow Monday and overnight into Tuesday will likely cause a natural avalanche cycle if the current forecast comes true. Tuesday and Wednesday the temps will cool, and the winds will die, but we are still expecting another 10-20 cm.

Alpine winds have created wind slabs in leeward areas up to 1m thick. 35-65 cm of settled snow from recent storms has formed a soft slab over 3 persistent weak layers of surface hoar and facets in the upper half of the snowpack: Jan 16 down 35-65cm; Jan6 down 40-75cm; and Dec15 down 55-100cm. In snowpits, these layers are giving sudden test results

Yesterdays field trip in the Yoho Valley observed numerous natural avalanches to size 3. Several close calls in neighboring bulletin region in the last few days: - size 3 at treeline in Kootenay resulting in a 2.7 m burial who was rescued with no injuries! - size 1.5 near Vermillion peak that buried a skiier to his chin

Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain