In the past 48 hours, 20-40cm of new snow has fallen. This will refresh the skiing but has buried a prominent weak layer. We suspect the new snow will be reactive in the short term.
Get ready for a cold week ahead.
In the short term, dry, loose avalanches are expected in steep and gulled terrain. These slides will be running on old-faceted snow surfaces. Ice climbers, in particular, should be wary of these sluffs in steep terrain.
New snow and moderate to strong winds will create fresh slabs at upper elevations. We suspect these will bond poorly to the buried Jan 30th layer (see snowpack summary). There were numerous reports on Saturday of natural avalanches (see avalanche summary)
There were reports of numerous natural avalanches to size 2 on multiple aspects and elevations including below treeline. These were on Mount Burgess, Dennis, Field, Stephen and Cathedral.
In the past couple of days, 20-40cm of snow has fallen in the area at treeline. This sits on a weaker layer (Jan. 30) of crust, surface hoar, and facets. The mid and lower snowpack is well settled, with snowpack depths at the treeline ranging from 120cm to 180cm.
Expect up to 5cm Saturday night and trace amounts on Sunday. Winds will decrease, and cold air will start to creep in for the foreseeable future. Temperatures will range from -20 to -30C next week.
