Avalanche danger is highest in areas that have seen consistent snowfall this week.
Weather has varied around the region, so verify conditions in your area.
Storm snow is starting to form slabs over weak layers buried in late December and early January. Expect deeper and more reactive slabs on leeward slopes.
On Wednesday, a 30 cm deep and 150 m wide rider triggered wind slab avalanche was reported near Pine Pass. Also, northwest of McBride, several large (up to size 2) natural avalanches were reported on east and southeast slopes at treeline and below.
We expect that more snow and continued strong winds will continue to build reactive slabs on Friday, and weak layers in the upper snowpack may be reaching a tipping point.
Strong wind will likely continue to form the recent snow into fresh wind slabs in the alpine and treeline.
30 to 60 cm of settling storm snow is resting on a mix of surfaces formed in late December or early January, including surface hoar, crusts, and facets. In some places these layers are producing avalanches as the increasing snow load stresses them.
The middle and lower snowpack are generally strong and well settled.
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy with 10 to 25 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Above freezing layer around 2000 m breaking down. Treeline low around -4 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5-10 cm of snow, hotspots of 15 cm or more. Less on the east slopes of the rockies. 30 to 45 km/h west ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Sunday
Partly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
