Avalanche forecast

Kootenay Boundary

Dec 14 – 15, 2013Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Light amounts of new snow may be hiding hard wind slabs which formed by northeasterly winds during the last cold snap. Although these windslabs have become less likely to trigger, this atypical loading pattern could catch riders by surprise.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–4
    A weak interface buried at the end of November is now buried by up to 50cm of snow. This layer may see increased reactivity with forecast snowfall.

Confidence

Fair - Due to the number of field observations

Weather Forecast

Overnight Saturday and Sunday: Light snowfall / Strong westerly winds / Freezing level at 1350mMonday: Light flurries / Moderate westerly winds / Freezing level at 700mTuesday: Moderate snowfall / Strong southerly winds / Freezing level at 1200m

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches have been reported in the last few days.

Snowpack Summary

Roughly 15-20cm of recent snowfall overlies weak faceted crystals, small surface hoar or older hard windslabs in exposed high elevation terrain. Between 35 and 50cm below the surface you may find a weak layer of surface hoar on sheltered slopes and a melt-freeze crust on steep solar aspects. Most reports indicate this layer is "stubborn" to trigger, or there may not be a deep enough overlying slab to create a significant hazard. That said, I'd remain curious about this interface, especially as the snow load increases.There are reports of a deeply buried early season crust that formed in October, this layer is more likely to be found in the high alpine on northerly aspects. Little is known about its reactivity in this region.

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