Start small and test the bond of the recent storm snow before committing to steep slopes.
25 to 60 mm of precpitation over the last few days built reactive storm slabs which may need another day or two to settle and bond. These slabs may be poorly bonded to an underlying rain crust at treeline and below.
Friday
A few size 1 to 2 slabs, both natural and human-triggerred occurred in several areas across the region.
Thursday
Several naturally triggered small storm slabs were reported near Whitewater.
Wednesday
Numerous storm slabs up to size 2 were triggered by explosive control near Kootenay Pass.
Several naturally triggered avalanches up to size 1.5 were observed near Whitewater.
A widespread natural avalanche cycle occurred in the Kokanee Glacier Park area.
Between 25 to 60 cm of storm snow overlies a rain crust from Dec 24th that goes as high as 1700 to 2100 m in the region. Storm slabs may be poorly bonded to the new rain crust. At upper elevations, variable winds have blown storm snow into thicker and more reactive slabs in leeward areas.
The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled, but contains multiple crust layers with some overlying facets observed.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear skies. 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.
Sunday
Sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Monday
Sunny. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Tuesday
Sunny. 20 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
