Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Feb 19 – 20, 2015Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–4
    New snow may hide old wind slabs lurking below ridge crests and in exposed gullies. These isolated pockets of stiff snow can fracture surprising distances above you and into low-angled terrain catching people by surprise.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–5
    Large avalanches are unlikely in most places but may be possible in the high alpine where a large trigger in a thin rocky spot could cause an avalanche on a buried persistent week layer.

Confidence

Good - The weather pattern is stable

Weather Forecast

Conditions will remain dry and mild through the forecast period with diurnal fluctuations in the freezing level (the spring-like pattern where the temperature can drop by up to 10 degrees overnight only to rise again through the day). A cold front moving in from the northeast will being light perception and through Friday and Saturday before clear skies return on Sunday. Winds will be predominately light from the north to northeast through the period. Freezing levels are forecast to reach a high of 1600m on Friday, and 1200m on Saturday and Sunday.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported recently

Snowpack Summary

A thick, solid crust can be found at the surface on all but highest alpine slopes . It sounds like the best riding is in the North of the region where a thin dusting covers old wind pressed snow in alpine. The recent winds have been light to moderate from the southwest and I suspect that you can find isolated thin windslabs in lee features. Below 2200 to 2400m the crust is effectively capping the snowpack and protecting a couple of buried persistent week layers. The mid-January surface hoar is around 60 to 80cm down. The mid-December crust is becoming harder to find but where it does exist (mainly at treeline elevations) it is over a meter down. At upper elevations where these layers are note protected by the crust it could still be possible to trigger an avalanche form a thin or rocky spot.

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