Purcells

Fair - Due to variable snopack conditions

Friday: Mixed skies, with southwesterly winds increasing to 30km/h through the day and highs of -6. Saturday & Sunday: Continued southwesterly flow with a mix of sun and cloud, and a possibility of localized flurries. Freezing levels may reach 1600m in the afternoons.

In the heart of the range (with a deeper snowpack) explosive triggered avalanches have been observed in wind loaded ridgecrest features to size 2.5. Elsewhere, explosive and ski cutting have yielded limited results.

There is about 20-30cm of recent storm snow sitting over the December 12 interface of surface hoar and facets. This new snow has been deposited into soft slabs on lee features in open terrain by the consistent winds. The interface between the new snow and older surfaces is gaining strength, but still remains within the threshold of human triggering where there is sufficient load/slab properties. Some areas have a sun crust in the alpine on steep south and west aspects. There is a rain crust that is buried between 40-55 cm in some areas that reaches up to about 2200 metres. Lower in the snowpack, the mid-layers are well-consolidated and strong. Near the base of the snowpack there are a few layers that have the potential to wake up with a really big storm or very heavy loads. These include a surface hoar layer from early November, a crust/facet combo from October and the interface on steep glaciated terrain with snow that did not melt over the summer.