Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Dec 24th, 2024 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs.
Avalanche Canada,
Avalanche Canada
Overnight snowfall and strong winds may build sensitive wind slabs.
Head to sheltered areas for the best riding.
Summary
Confidence
Low
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on Monday.
The picture below shows current features of concern - We expect new and reactive wind slabs to form with Tuesday night's snowfall and wind.
Snowpack Summary
The snow surface at higher elevations is highly wind affected, with some slopes stripped from recent strong southerly winds. In sheltered areas, a crust from early December sits below 30 to 50 cm of settling snow. This layer has produced avalanche activity and shown reactivity on testing. However, observations are limited in this region and the reactivity or distribution of this is not well understood.
There are no current deeper layers of concern.
Data is very limited in this region, please submit MIN reports if you head into the mountains. Any data or photos are helpful!
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow for most areas. Southern terrain (Kakwa and Torpy areas) may see up to 20 cm. 60+ km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing levels around 1000 m.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy with 50 km/hr southerly ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with flurries. 20 to 30 km/hr southerly ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Friday
Mostly clear skies. 20 to 30 km/hr southerly ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -7 °C
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.
- Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
- Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Watch for hollow or 'drum like' sounding snow near ridgelines and mid slope rollovers - new snow may build fresh and reactive deposits. Slabs may fail on the early December crust and facets producing larger avalanches.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South West, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Dec 25th, 2024 4:00PM
