Avalanche Forecast
Kootenay Boundary
Fresh slabs overlie crusts, and buried surface hoar on north aspects in the alpine. Assess the bond between the new snow and the old surface before committing to bigger slopes. Clear skies on Sunday may increase the danger on sunny slopes.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and treeline. Storm snow and wind have formed touchy slabs.
- Use caution on steep slopes and convex rolls. The new snow may bond poorly to the old surface.
- Whumpfing, shooting cracks and recent avalanches are all strong indicators of unstable storm snow.
Avalanche Summary
Saturday we received a report of a size 2 remotely (from a distance) skier triggered storm slab release that failed 50 cm deep on the mid-March surface hoar layer on a steep gully feature.
On Friday there were reports of natural (size 1.5-2) storm slab releases on north and west aspects in the alpine that were suspected to have failed overnight during the storm, as well as size 1 skier triggered storm snow releases in steep, leeward terrain.
Reports from Thursday included activity in the recent storm snow including sloughing and small (size 1) storm slab releases from 10 - 20 cm thick above the most recent crust.
Prior to Thursday storm there were no significant avalanche observations to report from earlier in the week.
Snowpack Summary
Around 30 - 50 cm of new snow has fallen with moderate to strong southeast to southwest wind. This snow sits on a mixture of weak grains including a slippery crust that is present at all elevations on solar aspects and all aspects below 1900 m elevation. On northerly aspects at and above treeline the new storm snow is burying a mix of large surface hoar and surface facets.
Two other weak layers are present in the upper snowpack. The mid March interface is down 20 to 40 cm and it resembles the old surface; crust on solar, surface hoar on high elevation north.
The early March interface is 40 to 60 cm below the surface and is similar in composition to those listed above.
A few other persistent weak layers are buried in the mid and lower snowpack, but they have gone dormant and are unlikely to resurface until we move into a period with consecutive above-freezing nights later in the spring.
Weather Forecast
TONIGHT: Clearing, flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind moderate, southwest. Alpine temperature near -8. Freezing level lowering to valley bottom.
SUNDAY: Increasing cloud in afternoon. Ridge light, southwest. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1500 m.
MONDAY: Increasing cloud in afternoon. Ridge wind moderate, southwest. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1500 m.
TUESDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 2-10 cm. Ridge wind moderate southwest. Alpine temperature near -1. Freezing level 1900 m.
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Southwest wind combined with recent snowfall will form fresh storm slabs that are not expected to bond well to the mix of crusts, surface hoar and facets now buried. Periods of sun exposure may also increase avalanche activity on solar aspects.