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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2025–Jan 8th, 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

South Rockies, Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Strong winds are redistributing available snow into fresh wind slabs at upper elevations

Minimize exposure to avalanche terrain and overhead hazards during periods of heavy wind loading

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, a few natural size 1.5 wind slab avalanches were reported on southeast alpine slopes. See MIN for details!

Neighboring regions to the south observed two natural size 1.5 wind slab avalanches on an east aspect.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a MIN report!

Snowpack Summary

Strong west winds are forming new wind slabs on lee slopes at upper elevations. New wind slabs sit atop variable wind-affected surfaces. On solar aspects, a thin melt-freeze crust covers the snow surface.

At lower elevations, the upper snowpack contains a melt-freeze crust and facets layer, particularly in south-facing terrain.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well-settled and stable.

Snowpack depth varies significantly across the region, from 50 to over 150 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with light flurries, 1 cm. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Wednesday

Mainly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Friday

Mainly cloudy with light flurries, 1 cm. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.

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.