Wind slabs are the primary concern. Watch for soft pockets of fresh wind slab as well as old, stiff wind slabs in leeward terrain features at upper elevations.
New snow and moderate winds may form soft pockets of wind slab 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.
A dusting of new snow sits over a firm, wind-sculpted upper snowpack, and possibly a crust that may extend up to ~1500 m.
A crust formed in mid-February is buried at variable depths, up to 1 m deep in wind loaded areas. 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.
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Friday
Mostly sunny. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
