Seek out good riding in sheltered terrain with no wind effect.
Be mindful that deep instabilities still exist in the snowpack - avoid snowpack areas that rapidly change from thick to thin.
New snow and moderate shifting winds will be building fresh wind slabs at upper elevations. Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation, be extra cautious if you observe blowing snow.
A persistent weak layer from mid November may still be possible to trigger above 2100 m. This layer likely needs a heavy load like a sled, cornice fall, or wind slab stepping down to trigger it.
On Thursday:
A naturally triggered size 2 wind slab was observed in steep alpine terrain off of Jackpine Mountain near Panorama
Looking forward: With more snow and wind in the forecast, we expect fresh wind slabs may be triggerable on Saturday
If you are travelling in the mountains, please submit any observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Around 10 cm of snow fell on the evening of the 25th, and an additional 5 to 10 cm is expected on Friday night.
This new snow combined with forecast moderate shifting winds, is expected to form wind slabs on lee slopes at upper elevations.
A persistent weak layer from mid-November, made up of a thick crust with overlying facets, and in some cases surface hoar, remains a lingering concern. In eastern parts of the region, it is buried 70–110 cm deep, and up to 180 cm in western areas with a deeper snowpack. Due to its depth, it would likely take a large, heavy load to trigger it, or a thin snowpack area.
Depth hoar is present at the base of the snowpack.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.
Sunday
Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.
Monday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
