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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 25th, 2022–Feb 26th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

South Rockies.

Lingering wind slabs may still be reactive to human-triggering in exposed terrain at higher elevations. 

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the extreme variability of wind effect on the snowpack.

Weather Forecast

One more day under the influence of high pressure before the first in a series of storm systems moves inland on Sunday. 

Friday Night: Mainly clear, light NW wind, treeline low around -16 °C. 

Saturday: Mainly sunny, light to moderate W wind, treeline high around -6 °C. 

Sunday: Mainly cloudy with flurries 2-4 cm, moderate to strong SW wind, treeline high around -4 °C. 

Monday: Snowfall, moderate to strong SW wind, treeline high around -1 °C. 

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, explosives triggered two size 1 wind slabs. The Avalanche Canada field team saw no new avalanches in the Crowsnest area. 

On Wednesday, there were some small isolated wind slabs reported from reverse loaded features on the Alberta side of the region. 

On Tuesday, the field team reported evidence of a natural wind-driven avalanche cycle (likely from Monday), with avalanches in the size 1-2 range in the northern Elk Valley. 

Snowpack Summary

10-30 cm of recent snow has been redistributed by wind from various directions over the past week and formed some wind slabs in unusual places. This recent snow sits over old firm wind-affected snow in exposed areas and hard sun crust on solar aspects.

The middle and lower snowpack are generally well consolidated, with a crust/facet layer from early-December found near the bottom of the snowpack. It is currently considered dormant but could become active later this season. Check out the forecaster blog for more information. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.