SOUTH COAST REGION WEATHER: The storm which plagued the region mid week was running out of steam by Wednesday night. Storm snow accumulations were in the neighborhood of 35cm in the alpine by the time a ridge of high pressure formed Thursday. This high pressure is forecast to persist through the weekend, keeping skies mainly clear and bringing mild temperatures. The freeze line will likely climb to 1500 metres by Saturday. SNOWPACK: Surface hoar sits under the storm snow in many places, predominantly on shaded north slopes. Easy shears were found at this interface until the sun came out, when things started to tighten up on sunny aspects. Daytime heating is likely to drive south aspects to near isothermal, causing afternoon instabilities. AVALANCHES: Good results with explosives testing, more than a few skier accidentals, and naturals were reported through to Wednesday. Things were beginning to settle down by Thursday, although shaded slopes were still yielding to human triggers. Steep south aspects were running natural every afternoon due to solar heating. DANGER: ABOVE TREELINE - Considerable, improving BELOW TREELINE - Moderate TRAVEL ADVISORY: Now that clear skies prevail, watch for windslab problems on steep terrain features as you push into the high alpine. South slopes will be suspect during the heat of the day. As solar radiation ruins the powder on south aspects, remember the weak surface hoar buried just under the storm snow as you move onto north facing slopes. The overall stability trend with this warm weather will be toward improvement. NORTH COLUMBIA REGION WEATHER: Most areas saw 50cm plus of good old BC powder added to the alpine by the latest storm. Now, a ridge of high pressure has built in behind it, bringing clear skies and mild temperatures. Winds were light to moderate during the storm, and light winds or dead calm should prevail throughout the weekend. The freezing line will push up to around 1400 metres by Saturday. SNOWPACK: Surface hoar, sometimes over facets, lies just under the storm snow in most areas. Some steep south aspects have a sun crust just under the storm snow. The warm weather will promote rapid settlement in the upper snowpack. The Y2K surface hoar found variably between 1800 and 1400 metres elevation, is now down around 150cm, and the November crust under facets is down over two metres. With this much load added to the snowpack, these two persistent problem layers will again be near threshold in isolated pockets of danger. AVALANCHES: Widespread loose naturals to size 2.5 were reported throughout the region. Explosive testing produced results to size 3, and numerous close calls occurred from human triggering. Activity on South facing slopes will be a problem each afternoon. Warm air temperatures will promote settlement slab formation, so the potential for propagation will increase early in the weekend, and will persist longest on shaded north slopes, particularly since the surface hoar just under this storm snow is best preserved. DANGER: ABOVE TREELINE - Considerable, improving BELOW TREELINE - Moderate TRAVEL ADVISORY: Most serious avalanche incidents happen during good weather immediately following a storm. The highest frequency of fatal accidents under these conditions is for storm snow accumulations of 40 to 60 cm. SOUTH COLUMBIA REGION WEATHER: Storm snow readings in the alpine regularly exceeded 40cm by the end of the storm Thursday. A ridge of high pressure was bringing clear skies by Thursday morning, and air temperatures shot to well above zero at valley bottom. Although strong winds prevailed in the south part of the range during the storm, winds had settled down to just a light breeze under the clear skies. Freezing level should climb to 1600 metres in the extreme south SNOWPACK: The storm snow buried a sun crust on south aspects, and a layer of surface hoar on shaded aspects. Areas in the eastern part of the range report facets just under the storm snow. The strong winds produced a wind slab in exposed areas, and severe loading of lee and cross winded slopes occurred. The Y2K surface hoar layer is now found down about 130cm in a band between 1700 and 1200 metres. The November crust under facets is now down near 2 metres in most areas. The new load from this storm will have increased tensions on these layers, bringing isolated spots to near threshold again. AVALANCHES: Widespread naturals to size 2.5 were reported during the storm. Cross wind loading kept the crew at Kootenay Pass shooting down a new cycle every 6 hours for part of the storm. Heli bombing in the north Purcells produced consistent results in storm snow and one deep release on the November crust. DANGER: ABOVE TREELINE - Considerable, improving BELOW TREELINE - Moderate TRAVEL ADVISORY: Studies have proven that humans are more likely to accept excessive risks during bright sunny days than on cold, stormy days. ROCKIES REGION WEATHER: A nice dump of up to 40cm of storm snow occurred during the storm mid week. Strong winds accompanied the storm, until a ridge of high pressure formed Thursday. Skies cleared and the wind dropped. Temperatures climbed to near zero for a daytime high, and weather forecasters predict overnight lows of -25 at alpine elevations. This high pressure ridge is forecast to persist through the weekend. SNOWPACK: Storm snow varied from 40 to 10cm depending on location, but most areas saw at least 25. The interface under the storm snow was often a sun crust on south aspects, and facets or surface hoar on shaded slopes. Many areas reported an easy shear at the interface just under the storm snow. Deeper snowpack layers were weakened in January by cold, and the new load will further stress these layers. Wind slab predominates in the exposed alpine, and lee and cross loading is widespread. AVALANCHES: Naturals to size 2.5 in the alpine were reported as the wind slab failed. Explosive testing also released 30 to 40cm thick alpine windslabs. Ski cutting on steep terrain features in the alpine would often produce results. Two naturals on the November crust were seen near Elkford, NW aspect 2000 metres elevation. DANGER: ABOVE TREELINE - Considerable, improving BELOW TREELINE - Moderate TRAVEL ADVISORY: Watch for cornice fall as the sun comes out. Expect stability to deteriorate on solar aspects during the heat of the day. Remember the deep instabilities as you enjoy the sun. Check what conditions exist at the interface below the storm snow. Most avalanche incidents happen during pleasant weather just after a storm.