Avalanche forecast

North Rockies

Feb 26 – 27, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Riders could trigger large avalanches due to a buried weak layer at a critical depth.

Avoid large slopes and look for signs of instability like shooting cracks and recent avalanches.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–3

    The crust that was buried in early February has weak, sugary facets or surface hoar on top of it making it a bad weak layer that riders can trigger.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    1–2.5

    Wind and new snow have formed storm slabs at all elevations. These slabs will be most reactive where they sit on surface hoar, facets, or a crust.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Field observations are very limited, but no new avalanches have been reported at the time of publishing.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 50 cm of new snow sits on a variety of layers including surface hoar, facets, and a crust on south and west-facing slopes.

The widespread crust buried in early February is down 50 to 70 cm. This crust may have a layer of facets above it.

The remainder of the snowpack is settled and not concerning.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 25 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -22 °c.

Monday

Partly cloudy. 25 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -23 °c.

Tuesday

Mostly clear skies. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -25 °c.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. 15 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °c.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing out into complex terrain.

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