Avalanche Forecast

Saturday night: no new snow expected. Light to moderate northwest winds with a low of -6 at 1900m.

Sunday: sunny with light west winds. Freezing level rising to 2200m.

Monday: Light precipitation bringing trace amounts of snow . Light southwest winds and freezing levels rising to 1600m.

Tuesday: light flurries bringing trace amounts of snow. High of -3 at 1900m. Light north west winds.

On Thursday a few wet loose avalanches up to size two were observed on south facing terrain in the region as well as the neighboring Waterton National Park.

If you are out in the backcountry and you see avalanches please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

A new melt-freeze crust is expected on solar aspects into the alpine and all aspects at lower elevations. This crust will likely break down and become moist as the sun comes out and freezing levels rise. Ongoing periods of strong westerly winds have formed wind slabs and large cornices in exposed terrain at higher elevations. 

The January 30 interface is now typically down around 20cm and consists of a variety of forms including surface hoar, facets and a crust. It is generally only concerning in the north part of the region. The mid January crust is down 20 to 70 cm deep. In most of the region this crust may only be found on solar aspects. In heavily wind effected areas it may be found on the surface.

The early December crust/facet persistent weak layer is now 100-200 cm deep. This layer produced numerous very large avalanches in January but is now considered dormant. See this forecaster blog on how to manage this layer as it may come into play again later this season. 

• Cornices become weak with daytime heating or solar exposure.
• Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Avoid steep slopes when air temperatures are warm, or solar radiation is strong.