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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 24th, 2024–Feb 25th, 2024

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

Regions

North Rockies, Sugarbowl, East Kakwa, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

New snow and wind are raising the avalanche danger.

Dial back terrain choices as the storm slab builds over buried weak layers.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Field observations are very limited, but no new slab avalanches have been reported. Only small loose dry from extreme terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of snow fell Friday/Saturday with more on the way. This buried 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 5 to 40 cm. This crust may have a layer of facets above it.

The remainder of the snowpack is settled and not concerning.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °c.

Sunday

Cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop wind switching to north in the afternoon. Treeline temperature -7 °c.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with 5 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -23 °c.

Tuesday

Mostly clear skies. 15 to 25 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °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.
  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.