Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Feb 13 – 14, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

As the new snow falls remember buried wind slabs are still able to be triggered.

Watch for dry loose avalanches running far and fast on the crust.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    Old wind slabs will be buried by new snow. They may form further down the slope than normal, even halfway down.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    1–1.5

    This problem will develop throughout the day as new snow falls with cold temperatures.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A few large (size 2) wind slab avalanches were triggered with explosives in the south on Monday.

A rider accidentally triggered a small wind slab avalanche below treeline near Window Mountain on Sunday. The wind slab had formed further downslope than normal.

On Saturday explosive triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 3, failing on the crust layer, were reported in the south.

Snowpack Summary

An upslope storm (coming from the east) could see 10 to 20 cm of light, dry snow near the Continental Divide on Tuesday.

Previous moderate to strong southwest wind developed wind slabs at all elevations. In sheltered spots, expect 20 to 40 cm over the crust.

Below this crust, the shallow faceted snowpack is generally well consolidated. There are two crust layers, one in the midpack and another near the base of the snowpack, that have been unreactive.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

A mix of sun and clouds. 15 to 35 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 0 to 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud. 15 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Loose avalanches may start small but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.

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