Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West, Flathead, Lizard, Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies.
It remains possible to trigger a thin wind slab in steep alpine terrain. Keep in mind there are still lots of early season hazards due to a thin snowpack.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
A few small (size 1) wind slabs were triggered by riders on Friday, otherwise, no notable avalanche activity has been reported in the past few days.
Snowpack Summary
30 to 60 cm of dry snow sits above a rain crust. The greatest amounts are likely around Fernie, but any leeward terrain could have deeper deposits due to the recent southwest wind. Reports suggest the snow is bonding well to the crust. You may also find a thin crust near the surface in some areas. The lower snowpack was rain-soaked and has slowly refrozen. Typical snowpack depths at treeline are 75 to 130 cm, and taper rapidly below treeline.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Mainly clear with no precipitation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -7 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C.
SundayMostly sunny with no precipitation, alpine wind northwest 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
MondayMostly sunny with no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -3°C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
- Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Thin wind slab avalanches may remain possible to trigger on leeward terrain features such as ridgecrests and roll-overs.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5