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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2022–Dec 17th, 2022

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

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Watch for pockets of fresh wind slab at ridgetop. As the temperatures drop over the next 48 hours you should be planning on dialing things back. Even a small accident can have big consequences with cold temps and short days.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No recent avalanches have been observed in the region however several persistent slab avalanches up to size 2 have been reported in the neighboring forecast region.

Snowpack Summary

Winds have been variable over the past couple days likely forming wind slab in all exposed alpine terrain. recent snow and wind slab overlies a sun crust on south facing slopes and a layer of facets and surface hoar on other aspects.

A weak layer consisting of facets and a crust formed in November is now buried around 50cm deep. This layer has produced large avalanches over the past weekend and continues to show reactivity in snowpack tests.

The lower snowpack consists of sugary and faceted snow, with a thick rain crust near the ground.

Total snowpack depths at treeline elevations are around 100cm .

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with the possibility of light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Moderate to strong northwest winds shifting to west in the morning with a low of -14 at 1800m.

Saturday

Scattered flurries bringing up to 5cm of new snow. Moderate southwest wind. High of -15 at 1800m.

Sunday

Scattered flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Light south wind. High of -23 at 1800m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with no new snow expected. Strong southwest winds and a high of -25at 1800m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind, once it starts to blow fresh sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.