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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 29th, 2025–Jan 30th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

East Kakwa, Pine Pass, Tumbler.

Wind slabs are a concern, especially where they sit over buried persistent weak layers.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, a natural cornice fall triggered a large wind slab avalanche on a south-facing alpine slope. The slab failed on a buried crust, highlighting that while a significant load may be required to trigger avalanches, the potential for large avalanches remains.

Wind slabs will remain a concern with the weak layers below.

Snowpack Summary

The new snow overlies a widespread surface hoar layer that formed over the past week, particularly around treeline elevations and below. In sun-exposed terrain, surface hoar may rest atop a thin crust, while elsewhere it sits atop a mix of old wind-affected surfaces and weak, faceted snow.

A widespread crust with facets and/or surface hoar, buried in mid-January, is approximately 30 to 70 cm below the surface.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well consolidated.

Weather Summary

Wednesday night

Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Thursday

Scattered cloud with 0 to 3 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature - 13 °C.

Saturday

Partly cloudy. 20 to 40 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid slopes that sound hollow or drum-like.
  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for slabs before you commit to it.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.