Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Feb 3 – 4, 2014Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Moderate to strong winds are expected to redistribute loose surface snow into reactive wind slabs. Watch for triggering in unusual locations due to forecast northeast winds.

Confidence

Fair - Wind speed and direction is uncertain on Tuesday

Weather Forecast

A mix of sun and cloud are expected for the forecast period. Winds are forecast to be mainly moderate to strong from the northeast. Alpine temperatures should hover between -20 and -25 for Tuesday and Wednesday with some very slight warming on Thursday.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, isolated pillows of wind slab formed in the immediate lee of ridge crests and were reactive to the weight of a skier. Ongoing wind slab activity is expected with forecast moderate to strong winds.

Snowpack Summary

Generally light amounts of recent snow overlie well developed surface hoar (which seems most prevalent west of Crowsnest Pass), old, unreactive wind slabs and a melt-freeze crust on previously sun-exposed slopes. In some parts of the region the recent accumulations have been shifted by moderate winds into soft wind slabs.Weak faceted snow exists in the mid or lower snowpack (depending where you are in the region). Although these weaknesses still appear in some snowpack tests, avalanches at this interface have become unlikely to trigger.

Regions covered