Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West, South Rockies.
New snow & wind are building reactive slabs.
Stick to simple low angle terrain and avoid overhead hazard.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
On Friday, a few small (size 1-1.5) natural and rider-triggered avalanches occurred near Castle Mtn.
On Thursday, two notable cornice failures in the northern Elk Valley produced slabs on northeast facing ridges that stepped down to the persistent weak layer. Numerous small size 1 wind slabs and loose dry avalanches were observed in the Crowsnest, as well as size 2 wind slabs by Castle Mtn.
Snowpack Summary
10 to 20 cm of snow accumulated over the last few days and formed wind slabs at upper elevations. Up to 20 cm of new snow combined with strong southwest winds is forecast to fall overnight and through Sunday. This is expected to create reactive new storm slabs, especially on wind-loaded north and east facing slopes near ridgetops.
A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or facets from late January is currently buried 40 to 80 cm. It has been the cause of recent large avalanches, and remains reactive in snowpack tests. The greatest concern for this weak layer is on upper-elevation northerly and easterly slopes.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Cloudy with 4 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy, with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.
Monday
A mix of sun and cloud. 25 to 35 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
Tuesday
Partly cloudy, with flurries up to 2 cm. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
- As the storm slab problem worsens, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
- Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
- Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
New snow and wind will be forming fresh reactive storm slabs. Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase throughout the day as more snow accumulates.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Likely - Very Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or facets is buried 40 to 80 cm. The greatest concern for triggering lies on upper elevation northerly through easterly slopes.
Aspects: North, North East, East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3