Purcells

Slabs that formed from recent snow and wind are the primary concern at higher elevations and you shouldn't discount buried persistent weak layers at lower elevations. Don't be caught off guard with these variable snowpack conditions.

High -

SUNDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light to moderate north wind, alpine temperature -20 C.MONDAY: Clear skies, light to moderate northwest wind, alpine temperature -17 C.TUESDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, light to moderate west wind, alpine temperature -15 C.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, light northeast wind, alpine temperature -15 C.

Small wind slab and storm slab avalanches were triggered in alpine terrain on Saturday.On Friday, a persistent slab avalanche was triggered by a skier, releasing on the late-January surface hoar layer described in the Snowpack Summary. The avalanche was around 50 cm deep, on a south aspect, and in alpine terrain.

Around 20 to 30 cm of recent snow has been blown around by strong, variable wind, creating touchy wind slabs in exposed areas. In the south and west of the region, recent storm amounts are closer to 40 to 50 cm. This new snow sits above wind-affected snow and/or sugary faceted snow.Beneath this lies two weak layers of surface hoar that were buried at the end of January and mid-January. These layers are around 30 to 70 cm deep. These layers are most prominent at treeline and below treeline elevations.The base of the snowpack is composed of weak and sugary faceted grains that overly a melt-freeze crust. This weak layer has produced large and destructive avalanches that are sporadic in nature and very difficult to predict. It is most likely to be triggered from areas where the snowpack is shallow and weak. Rocky alpine bowls, ridge crests, and rocky outcroppings are some examples of terrain features to be wary of. See the Forecaster Blog here for more information on this problem.