Mild temperatures are expected in the morning followed by a cooling trend over the day. The best riding will be in areas sheltered from the warming and wind effects.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY: Morning sun and afternoon clouds with light snowfall at higher elevations and rain below, accumulation 1 to 2 mm, moderate southwesterly winds, alpine temperature 2 C, freezing level 3000 m dropping to 1500 m over the afternoon.THURSDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 3 to 8 cm, light westerly winds, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level 1500 m.FRIDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, light easterly winds, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level 1500 m.
Avalanche Summary
Widespread loose wet avalanches were noted on solar aspects to size 2 on Monday. Explosive control in the Elk Valley triggered cornices on predominantly north aspects. Evidence of natural slab avalanche activity was also observed on easterly aspects. The slab depths were around 50 to 80 cm deep.
Snowpack Summary
Warm air temperatures and daytime sun have produced moist snow on all aspects. With dropping freezing levels, the moist snow will harden into a melt-freeze crust. On shady aspects at high elevations, lingering wind slabs in lee features and loose dry in sheltered features may still exist.A weak layer of surface hoar buried mid-February exists in parts of the region around 50 to 80 cm deep. The lower snowpack is weak with a combination of crusts and facets near the bottom of the snowpack that are widespread.
Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.