Watch for new wind slabs as southerly winds continue and be wary of rocky start zones where the snowpack varies from thick to to thin. Weak layers are more easily triggered here.
Check out the new Forecasters' Blog for more details on managing our challenging snowpack.
Expect southerly winds to form new wind slabs in lee terrain features, on north, west and east facing slopes. Avalanches triggered in wind-loaded terrain have the potential to step down to deeper weak layers, creating larger than expected avalanches.
A weak layer of faceted grains sits near the base of the snowpack. The consequence of triggering this layer is high. Riders are most likely to trigger it where the snowpack is relatively shallow, such as on rocky and wind-affected slopes.
No recent avalanche activity has been reported in the region. However, there have been several recent reports of large human-triggered avalanches in neighboring regions with a similar snowpack structure.
Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.
30 to 50 cm of soft snow overlies a generally weak, facetted snowpack with multiple buried weak layers. Fresh wind slabs are expected to form in higher elevation terrain from southerly winds, which may sit over a layer of reactive surface hoar and/or crust.
A layer of large and weak facets sits in the bottom of the snowpack, buried in November.
Snowpack depth is roughly 150 cm at treeline. This year's snowpack is weaker than usual, as described in our Forecasters' blog.
Friday Night
Cloudy with flurries and moderate southerly winds. Freezing levels around 500 m.
Saturday
Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm. Moderate southerly wind. Treeline high of -4 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm. Moderate southerly wind. Treeline high of -4 °C.
Monday
Cloudy with flurries. Moderate to strong southerly wind. Treeline high of -4 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
