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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 11th, 2025–Mar 12th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir, Crawford, Moyie, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Snowfall amounts are highly variable throughout the region. Carefully assess and verify conditions as you travel.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday: A few natural and skier triggered storm slab and wind slab avalanches were reported up to size 2.5 (very large). Some of these avalanches stepped down to weak layers that are buried in the snowpack, causing a persistent slab.

Looking forward: Avalanches on buried weak layers may be difficult to trigger, but if one is triggered, it is likely to be large and destructive.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of recent snow has been redistributed by southwest wind. This snow sits on a crust on solar aspects and all aspects below 1800 m. Above this, surface hoar or facets exist in sheltered areas and on north aspects.

Two concerning weak layers are present in the mid snowpack: facets/surface hoar or a crust from mid-February buried 30-70 cm, and facet/surface hoar/crust from late January buried 60-100 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mainly cloudy with up to 7 cm of snow. 10 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday

Mainly cloudy with up to 4 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Thursday

Mainly cloudy with up to 25 cm of snow. 15 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.

Friday

Mainly cloudy with up to 3 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.