Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Waterton Lakes.
Brrrr!!!! The skiing is fantastic but the temperatures are not. Bring extra layers in case of emergency, and plan to end your day well before it gets dark. This is not the kind of weather you want to spend a night out in!
Weather Forecast
Monday: Sunny with cloudy periods, high -22. Light to calm west winds.
Tuesday: Sunny. Low -26, high -22. Light to calm west winds.
Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Low -33 °C, High -24 °C.
Snowpack Summary
30-35cm of new fluffy snow has fallen at Cameron Lake with limited wind effect at treeline and below. In the alpine, new snow has been distributed by westerly winds. New snow sits over previous wind slab which overlies a crust below 1900m. The midpack is well consolidated at Cameron Lake but quickly becomes faceted in areas east of the divide.
Avalanche Summary
Several small (size 1) loose dry avalanches were seen in steep terrain on Sunday.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable
Avalanche Problems
Loose Dry
The problem is specific to steep terrain and will become easier to trigger as cold temperatures start to facet the new snow.
- Be careful of loose dry power sluffing in steep terrain.
- Be very cautious with gully features.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5
Wind Slabs
30-35cm of new snow is being blown into new wind slabs in the alpine and upper treeline by light westerly winds.
- Be careful around wind loaded areas near ridge crests, cross loaded gullies and roll-overs.
- Watch for shooting cracks or stiffer feeling snow. Avoid areas that appear wind loaded.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South, South West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2