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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 14th, 2023–Dec 15th, 2023

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

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Wind slabs at upper elevations are the main concern.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

A few small (size 1) wind slabs were triggered by riders on Wednesday, otherwise, no notable avalanche activity has been reported in the past few days.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 60 cm of dry snow sits above a crust from last week's rain event. The greatest amounts are likely around Fernie, but any leeward terrain could have deeper deposits due to the recent southwest wind. Reports suggest the snow is bonding well to the crust. You may also find a thin crust near the surface in some areas. The lower snowpack is rain-soaked and slowly refreezing. Typical snowpack depths at treeline are 50 to 120 cm, and taper rapidly below treeline.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy with no precipitation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday

Mostly sunny with no precipitation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 50 km/h, treeline temperature -2 °C.

Sunday

Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.

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.