Avalanche Forecast
North Columbia
Fresh snow with cold weather is offering excellent riding, but it's critical to approach avalanche terrain cautiously because large storm slabs are still possible.
Avalanche Problem 1: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Choose well supported terrain without convexities.
- Watch for whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Avalanche Summary
On Saturday, there were numerous reports of natural storm slab avalanches in the size 1-2 range, but no human-triggered activity was reported. Explosive control in the Monashees produced a size 3 avalanche on a wind-loaded northeast ridge crest that scoured down to a late November crust.
Snowpack Summary
Snow from last week's storms is settling and getting redistributed by northwest winds. Roughly 30-70 cm of recent snow sits above various crusts from the warm weather in late November. Reports suggest the snow is bonding to the crusts so far, but there's potential for this layer to develop into a bigger problem in the near-future. Snow depths decrease rapidly below treeline, where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY: Isolated flurries with sunny breaks, moderate northwest wind, alpine temperatures around -10 C.
TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light northwest wind, alpine temperatures warming to -5 C.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny, light wind, inversion forming with alpine temperatures possibly reaching above 0 C.
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Storm slabs remain possible to trigger as 30-70 cm of snow from last week settles above a buried crust. Extra caution is needed on wind-loaded terrain features.