Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Waterton Lakes.
Refrozen surfaces are making for supportive, fast skiing until valley bottom where it becomes breakable crust. Sharpen your edges.
Weather Forecast
Sunday: Cloudy with isolated flurries, alpine high -6. Winds moderate SW, FL valley bottom.
Monday: Cloudy with isolated flurries, alpine high -4. Winds strong SW, FL valley bottom.
Tuesday: Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, alpine high -7 low -14. Light E winds. FL valley bottom.
Snowpack Summary
Freezing levels on saturday rose to 1900m. A 15 cm rain crust exist up to 2000m. A 1 cm temp crust exists to 2400m on solar aspects. Alpine surfaces range from hard windslab in lees and to bare ground. Well settled midpack. Facets above Dec 4 crust down 150-200 cm. A 20-60 cm thick Nov MFcr complex completes snowpack to ground.
Avalanche Summary
Evidence of previous cycle (Jan 8-12), with avalanches from size 2 - 4 can still be seen in most avalanche paths. No avalanches observed in the last two days within park as a result cooling temps. Thanks to everyone posting on the Mountain Information Network, keep up the great work, we really do read them.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Strong to extreme SW winds and warm temps have formed hard windslabs in alpine lees.
- Use caution in lee areas. Recent wind loading have created wind slabs.
- Avoid shallow snowpack areas where triggering is more likely.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5
Persistent Slabs
One significant size 4 event on this layer on sunday the 9th of Jan. No obs on this layer since then.
- If triggered the wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 2.5 - 4