Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Regions
Kootenay Boundary.
This bulletin is based on a very limited data, and significant variations in conditions exist.
Confidence
Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Light snowfall is expected to start Wednesday evening and intensify throughout the rest of the forecast period.Ridgetop winds are forecast to be moderate to strong from the southwest on Thursday trending to strong and southwesterly on Friday and Saturday.Freezing levels should stay at about 1450m for the entire period.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported. If you and your friends have been out exploring and riding in the backcountry, and have some observations to share please send an email to [email protected].
Snowpack Summary
Healthy amounts of snow fell throughout the last week; however, the more recent break in the weather has given the upper snowpack a chance to settle and gain strength. Over the last few days, surface hoar may have formed and will be something to watch as the next system moves in to the region on Thursday.In the mid snowpack there may be a spotty, thin buried surface hoar layer between 50 and 80cm down. At the base of the snowpack sits the early November rain crust. Located about 100cm below the surface, it seems most likely to be found in deeper snowpack areas and may have associated facets. These layers seem to have been unreactive in recent days, but may have the potential to 'wake-up' with forecast loading.
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.