Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 22nd, 2022–Dec 23rd, 2022

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

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

assess all exposed slopes for wind slab before committing to your line. Winds have varied in direction in the past couple days.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed in the past few days.

If you are heading into the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

Variable winds have redistributed recent snow into wind slabs on all aspects. On south facing slopes wind slab could have formed over a sun crust. A layer of surface hoar down around 30cm can be found in sheltered terrain on all aspects up to 2000m, This layer could be a concern where wind slabs form above.

A weak layer consisting of facets and a crust formed in November is now buried around 60cm deep.

In general, the snowpack is quite faceted with average snowpack depths of around 150cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

light flurries possible bringing trace amounts of new snow . Increasing westerly winds and a Low of -24 at 1800m.

Friday

Cloudy with up to 5cm of new snow expected. Westerly winds increasing to extreme at ridge top. High of -14 at 1800m.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of new snow expected. Moderate west winds becoming extreme southwest in the afternoon. A high of -4 at 1800m. Freezing levels rising to 1400m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with light flurries bringing a few centimeters of new snow. Moderate to strong west wind. Freezing levels rising to 1200m.

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.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

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.