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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 24th, 2023–Feb 25th, 2023

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

Kakwa, Pine Pass, Tumbler.

Stormy conditions return to the region, which will form new slabs in wind-exposed terrain over the day.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed on Thursday. Earlier in the week there was evidence of deep persistent slab activity that likely occurred during stormy conditions. Riders should continue to avoid steep, thin, rocky slopes, particularly near alpine ridgelines.

Looking forward, we anticipate that new wind slabs will form over the day on Saturday, which could be human triggered.

Snowpack Summary

New snow on Saturday will fall with strong southwest wind, forming new wind slabs in wind-exposed terrain. The snow will overly wind slabs that formed between Tuesday and Friday from strong northeast wind. This means that wind slabs may be found on all aspects.

The middle of the snowpack is generally strong.

A weak layer of large and weak facets is found near the base of the snowpack. The layer is currently dormant, except perhaps in very steep alpine terrain that is inherently shallow. Riders should continue to avoid thin, rocky terrain where the likelihood of triggering this layer is increased.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 2 to 5 cm, 40 km/h west wind, treeline temperature - 20 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 15 cm with local enhancement possible, 40 to 50 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -14 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, 20 km/h southeast wind, treeline temperature -14 °C.

Monday

Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 1 to 3 cm, 20 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -15 °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.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.