Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bull, Elkford East, Elkford West, South Rockies, St. Mary.
Continue to use good travel habits, and use extra caution around thin, rocky start zones.
New, reactive wind slabs could be building below ridgetops and in cross-loaded gully features.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported before 4 pm on Friday.
On Wednesday, a Mountain Information Network (MIN) post from the Bootleg area, west of Kimberly, reported several small (size 1) windslab avalanches below ridgetops. See more details here.
If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
5-10 cm of new snow may now cover dry snow that remains on shaded (northerly) slopes, and moist snow or thin crusts on solar aspects. Near valley bottom, rain will be wetting the surface snow.
The mid snowpack contains layers of surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, old crusts on south-facing slopes, and a layer of facets buried in mid-January. No recent avalanches have occurred on these layers.
The lower snowpack includes a layer of large, weak facets and/or depth hoar crystals.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a chance of isolated flurries. Light southwest ridgetop wind, trending to moderate at higher elevations. Freezing level 2000-2500 m. Treeline temperature around -1°C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 5-10 cm of snow expected in the alpine, but only a trace around Elkford. Light southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at higher elevations. Snow line around 1500 m. Treeline temperature around -3°C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at higher elevations. Freezing level around 2300 m.
Monday
Cloudy. Rain likely to mountaintops. 15-20 mm West of Kimberly, isolated areas of 30mm+, 5 mm around Elkford. Freezing level rising to 2500 m. Light southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at higher elevations.
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.
- Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Expect small pockets of reactive windslab to form on leeward slopes due to 5-10 cm of new snow and strong southwest winds in the high alpine.
Use extra caution below ridgecrests and in cross-loaded features. Watch for signs of instability like shooting cracks.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5
Deep Persistent Slabs
The base of the snowpack remains weak. Avoid thin, rocky start zones and shallow areas with variable snowpack depths.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 2 - 4