Lizard-Flathead

Triggering large storm slabs will be most likely in wind affected terrain.

Persistent slabs remain possible to human trigger at treeline and above.

Moderate

• We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Several skier triggered size 1 storm slabs were reported near Fernie on Wednesday.

Avalanche activity is expected to increase with the new snow and wind.

20 to 35 cm of recent snow and strong southwest winds have formed storm slabs that will be most reactive in wind-affected terrain.

The recent snow sits on a 1 to 10 cm thick crust on all aspects. The thickness of the crust depends on elevation.

At upper elevations, where the crust is thinner or not present, it may still be possible to trigger persistent slabs on multiple buried weak layers of surface hoar and/or crusts in the top 120 cm of the snowpack.

The mid/lower snowpack is well settled and strong in most areas.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday
Sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
• Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
• Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
• Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
• Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.