Wind slabs are the primary concern. Watch for soft fresh wind slabs as well as old, stiff wind slabs in leeward terrain features at upper elevations.
New snow and moderate winds may form soft, reactive wind slabs over old, stiff, stubborn wind slabs. Both may be triggerable by riders on leeward slopes at upper elevations.
We haven't had any observations since Thursday and Friday last week when observers reported wind slab activity size 1-2 on north through east-facing aspects at riding areas near Tumbler Ridge.
If you are heading into the backcountry, please share any observations with the Mountain Information Network.
Recent snow and strong winds have buried a crust formed in mid-February up to 1 m deep. This crust is expected to be thickest and most widespread at treeline and below, becoming thinner or absent at higher elevations. Weak, faceted snow may exist above the crust, or in place of the crust at higher elevations.
The remainder of the snowpack is generally well consolidated, with no widespread layers of concern. The main exception is shallow, rocky terrain, where the snowpack is inherently weaker and early-season basal weak layers may still persist.
Check out these recent MIN posts from our field team on Thursday and a local pro on Friday.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.
Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
