Kootenay Boundary

Fresh and reactive wind slabs may form at treeline and above. Start conservative and watch for signs of instability like cracking or whumpfing.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.

On Wednesday, numerous dry loose avalanches up to size 1 were reported from steep east-facing slopes. A couple of slab avalanches up to size 2 were triggered using explosives on southwest facing slopes.

Fresh wind slabs could be sensitive to human triggering, especially on open slopes and terrain features near ridgeline.

If you head into the backcountry, consider submitting a MIN report.

Up to 30 cm of new snow fell last weekend. This brings on storm snow accumulations 40 to 70 cm over the past week.

Stiffer wind-affected snow may be found near ridgelines and on open slopes. The surface snow remains soft in wind protected areas, like the trees.

Below the surface, the upper snowpack is more consolidated and reports indicate it may sit on a layer of surface hoar buried 50-60 cm down and a melt freeze crust 70 cm down.

The bottom of the snowpack has a crust from early November that is just above the ground.

Snowpack depth is 100 - 180 cm at treeline.

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries. 25 to 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. 10 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing levels 1000 m.

Friday

Cloudy with isolated flurries. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.