Kootenay Boundary

Remember to practice good travel habits, always watch for signs of instability and assess conditions as you go.

In recent days, the Kokanee-Valhalla areas have seen indications of developing instability associated with the crust detailed in the snowpack summary:

• On Thursday at Kokanee, a skier triggered a size 1.5 slab on the crust

• On Sunday in the Valhalla area, isolated pockets released at this interface on a tracked, shallow, unsupported feature.

No other recent avalanche observations. Please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Variable snow surfaces exist including crusts, moist snow, faceting old wind slabs and settled powder.

The upper and mid snowpack contain a variety of crusts. The most prominent is a thick, hard, widespread crust formed in early December, now buried 40 to 60 cm deep. This crust effectively bridges an underlying layer of surface hoar. In the Valhalla-Kokanee zones, facets have been observed developing on top of the crust.

Average snowpack depths at treeline are roughly 70 to 130 cm. Snow depths taper dramatically at lower elevations.

Monday night

Mostly cloudy, ridgetop wind 20 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and cloud, ridgetop wind 20-30 km/h, treeline temperature -3 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, ridgetop wind <20 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud, ridgetop wind 20-30 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
• Carefully evaluate bigger terrain features on an individual basis before committing to them.
• Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.