Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West, Flathead, Lizard, Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies.
It's a great time to get up high in the backcountry.
Remember to practice good travel habits, watch for signs of instability, and assess for wind loading as you go.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday there were several small natural wind slab avalanches from steep headwalls near Fernie.
Snowpack Summary
A small amount of new snow sits over crusts on solar aspects, wind-affected snow, and well-settled powder.
The snowpack contains a couple of thick, hard crusts buried 10 to 20 cm and 30 to 70 cm deep. Below, the snowpack has no significant weak layers.
The snow depth at treeline is 50 to 130 cm, with the deepest snowpack near Fernie. Snow depth decreases rapidly at lower elevations.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Cloudy, 0 to 1 cm, west alpine wind 35 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy, 1 cm of snow, west alpine wind 35 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.
Friday
A mix of sun and cloud, 0 to 5 cm of snow, northwest alpine wind 20 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy, 5 to 10 cm of snow, southwest alpine wind 20 to 45km/h, treeline temperature -9 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Riders are more likely to trigger this problem near Fernie.
Aspects: North, North East, East.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5