Avalanches are most likely to fail on steep, wind-loaded slopes, especially near ridgetops.
Recent strong to extreme easterly winds have created thick wind slabs on leeward slopes. It's a good idea to investigate before entering committing terrain. If in doubt, give these slabs a few days to bond.
Wednesday: North of Stewart, recent extreme winds resulted in a natural cycle of size 1.5 to 2.5 wind slab avalanches. They occurred on leeward north through east faces. Shooting cracks, which are a sign of instability, were also reported in wind slabs by snowmobilers. These slabs may stay reactive to human triggering for several days.
Early season reports have been extremely limited. Please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Expect to find sastrugi and hard wind-scoured surfaces in all open wind-exposed areas at upper elevations. Thick wind slabs have formed on many lee slopes.
A rain crust from early November is buried 50 to 100 cm deep in the alpine. In isolated, sheltered areas, a layer of surface hoar may be found 60 cm+ deep.
Snow depths vary across the region but generally range from 100 to 200 cm in the alpine and about 50 cm at 1000 m.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 60 to 80 km/h southeast wind. Treeline temperature -8°C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 40 to 50 km/h southeast wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
Sunday
Partly cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h east wind. Treeline temperature high -8 °C.
Monday
Mostly sunny. 10 to 20 km/h variable wind. Treeline temperature high -10 °C
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
