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</style><p class="p_CC664AAA"><span class="s_3FE45715">Days of cold temperatures have been gradually transforming about 30 cm of aging storm snow left on the surface from storms and flurries over the past couple of weeks into a layer of faceted (sugary, cohesionless) snow. At treeline, the total height of snow is between about 100 and 140 cm. </span></p><p class="p_CC664AAA"><span class="s_3FE45715">At 40 to 80 cm below the surface, there is a persistent weak layer that was buried on November 21st. This weak layer consists of surface hoar (feathery crystals) in most places, but may present as a sun crust on steep south facing slopes. This layer has shown ongoing but variable reactivity in snowpack tests in the past week. A MIN report from the Kootenay Pass area </span><a href="https://www.avalanche.ca/map?panel=mountain-information-network-submissions/7b449a3e-4c92-4714-8908-2520b352f364" target="_blank"><span class="s_B5813F7D">(link here)</span></a><span class="s_3FE45715"> and a social media post </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KootenayBackcountryGuides/videos/vb.1576889842619599/332746360841352/?type=2&amp;theater" target="_blank"><span class="s_B5813F7D">(link here)</span></a><span class="s_3FE45715"> from the Whitewater area on Thursday highlight some of the more concerning recent results. This surface hoar is thought to be widespread at treeline and may also extend into sheltered alpine features.</span></p><p class="p_CC664AAA"><span class="s_3FE45715">At the base of the snowpack is a thick melt-freeze crust that formed near the end of October. Observations of reactivity at this crust have been limited, but it has acted as the failure plane in several recent large avalanches in the neighbouring South Columbias.</span></p>