North Columbia

Storm snow is beginning to stabilize.

Start with small, simple terrain before increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain.

The natural avalanche cycle seems to be coming to an end. On Thursday there were a few small (size 1 to 1.5) natural storm slabs and dry loose avalanches reported.

On Wednesday, there was a widespread avalanche cycle. With natural and human-triggered avalanches reported up to size 3.

40 to 50 cm of snow has fallen this week, with some areas in the west receiving up to 70 cm. This soft snow is being redistributed by a west-southwest wind in the alpine and open treeline.

A surface hoar layer formed in early December is now buried 50 to 90 cm and is most prevalent between 1700 to 2200 m. So far, this layer hasn't been reactive, but it's worth keeping on your radar.

Friday Night

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and increasing clouds. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C, freezing level 1500 m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud with 5 to 10 cm of snow ending in the morning. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.