Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the track & intensity of the incoming weather system.

Tuesday Night: Snow, 10-20 cm, strong southwest wind, alpine high -4, freezing level 1400 m.

Wednesday: Flurries, 5-10 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine high -5, freezing level 1300 m.

Thursday: Cloudy with sunny breaks, light to moderate northwest wind, alpine high -8, freezing level 600 m.

Friday: Isolated flurries, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine high -7, freezing level 600 m.

Expect to see an increase in storm and wind slab avalanche activity on Tuesday in the after math of new snow accumulating with strong southwest winds.

Field observations in this region are limited. If you get out, please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network. 

New snow accumulating Monday through Tuesday night has fallen on wind affected surfaces at upper elevations, surface hoar in wind sheltered areas and a thin crust on solar aspects. Winds are likely redistributing new snow into wind slabs and growing cornices.

A couple of persistent weak layers exist in the upper to mid snowpack, down 20-60 cm and 70-100 cm. The distribution of these layers are variable, the upper layer spotty at treeline and below and the lower layer can present as surface hoar and/or a crust. It has been reported as most prevalent in areas near Valemount. Avalanche activity on these layers have dwindled since the storm and snowpack tests results have been moderate to hard planar, but still showing some propagation.

• Watch for signs of slab formation throughout the day.
• Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
• Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 20 cm of new snow.