Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Forecasts are for use by experienced backcountry travelers in uncontrolled sidecountry and backcountry terrain. These forecasts and conditions do not apply to open, in-bounds terrain at ski resorts, which is subject to avalanche control by local resort ski patrol.
Avalanche Rating
Considerable (3)
Continue to make conservative terrain choices. Storm snow overlies a prominent weak layer on all aspects and elevations.
Check out the new Forecaster Blog "Keeping a Conservative Mindset"
More Detail
To get the complete forecast with additional graphics and details, please view the Avalanche Canada Zone forecast provided by Avalanche Canada.
Snowpack Discussion
Storm snow totals range from 30 to 60 cm. Deeper deposits are found in wind-loaded areas. The new snow is bonding poorly to old surfaces, which include melt-freeze crusts on sun-exposed slopes, surface hoar or facets on shaded slopes, and wind-affected snow in exposed terrain.
A weak layer of surface hoar buried, 30 to 80cm deep, has been the culprit of many natural and human-triggered avalanches this week. Where this layer is preserved it will remain reactive to human triggering.
The lower snowpack is strong and bonded.
Avalanche Activity
On Monday, a size 2, natural storm slab avalanche was observed on a north facing slope at 2100 m. The avalanche ran on a weak layer buried at the end of January.
Numerous skier-triggered, size 1, loose dry avalanches were reported. Backcountry users continue to note cracking and whumphingwhile traveling through terrain at all elevations.