Avalanche Forecast

High -

Tuesday: The ridge of high pressure will slowly move out as the next system rolls in. This will bring mostly cloudy skies, 5-10 cm of new snow and moderate ridgetop winds from the southwest. Wednesday: Snow 10-25 cm on average through the region. The Monashee range may see the higher amounts up to 25 cm. Moderate to strong southwest winds and freezing levels near 1300 m. Thursday: Cloudy with isolated flurries. Westerly winds generally light with strong gusts and the freezing levels fall to 1000 m.

Over the weekend recent storm slabs up to size 2 were very reactive to light loads like skier traffic, especially where the new snow sits above buried surface hoar 1500-1800m. At higher elevations wind slabs have formed on North-Northeast aspects from strong Southerly winds Saturday. Pockets of wind slab are also reactive to skier traffic. Natural avalanche activity has tapered off but triggering a touchy slab that sits above surface hoar or a crust is likely.

15-25 cm of new snow from the weekend now sits above a layer of large feathery surface hoar crystals and sun crusts. Strong winds associated with the new snow formed reactive wind slabs on leeward slopes and scoured southerly aspects down to the old crust at treeline and in the alpine. The recent snow has been settling into a thin but reactive slab above this weak layer, with enhanced reactivity noted at elevations between 1500-1800 metres, where the surface hoar is particularly well developed on all aspects. The middle and lower portions of the snowpack are generally well-settled and strong.