Avalanche Forecast
Regions: East Kakwa, Kakwa, McBride, McGregor, North Rockies, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Sugarbowl, Tumbler.
Dangerous avalanche conditions are expected as the new snow accumulates across the region.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanche activity has been reported.
Observations remain very limited this early in the season. If you head into the backcountry, please post to the Mountain Information Network
Snowpack Summary
New snow will likely form new wind and storm slabs at the surface. This snow will bury a variety of surfaces, including old wind-affected surfaces, along with a chance of surface hoar or faceted crystals in wind-sheltered terrain.
A crust formed in early November is present in the lower snowpack, with possible faceted crystals above or below it. Large depth hoar crystals exist at the base of the snowpack, particularly in the northern part of the region.
Snowpack depth at treeline is about 100 cm, and most below treeline slopes are not yet at the threshold to avalanche.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
- As the storm slab problem worsens, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
- Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
- Be cautious of buried obstacles, especially below treeline.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Fresh storm slabs are expected with new snow arriving Wednesday night and Thursday.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2