Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
Avalanche danger may be CONSIDERABLE in the Alpine in areas with highest amounts of recent snow, such as Kootenay Pass.
Confidence
Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions
Weather Forecast
Monday night: Strong NW winds. Alpine temperature near -4. Very light snow.Tuesday: Light N winds. Alpine temperature near -12. Light snow.Wednesday: Strong NW winds. Alpine temperature near -8. Light snow.Thursday: Light W winds. Alpine temperature near -6. Light snow.
Avalanche Summary
Loose dry avalanches and soft slabs to size 1.5 were triggered naturally and by skiers on Sunday. Explosives triggered several size 1-2 slabs on Monday, failing on a buried crust down 20-30 cm.
Snowpack Summary
Around 15-35 cm snow overlies various old surfaces including surface hoar, facets, hard slabs and crusts. The wind has created soft slabs on lee slopes. As incremental snowfalls build up, a cohesive storm slab is developing. Deeper in the pack (about 50-60cm down), a weak interface exhibits mainly hard to no results in snowpack tests, with isolated moderate, sudden results.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.