North Rockies

Wind slabs remain the primary concern at higher elevations, where ongoing westerly winds continue to redistribute recent snow and build reactive slabs in exposed terrain.

Low

• We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

On Thursday, recent wind slab activity up to size 2 was observed in the Core Lodge area, primarily on north through east-facing aspects.

If you are heading into the backcountry, please share any observations with the Mountain Information Network.

Recent snow and strong winds have buried a mid-February crust with up to 90 cm of new snow. This crust is expected to be most widespread and thickest at treeline and below, becoming thinner or absent at higher elevations. Weak, faceted snow may exist above the crust, or in place of the crust at higher elevations.

The remainder of the snowpack is generally well consolidated, with no widespread layers of concern. The main exception is shallow, rocky terrain, where the snowpack is inherently weaker and early-season basal weak layers may still persist.

Check out the AvCan field teams MIN report from Core Lodge on Thursday for more details.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy. Trace amounts of snow. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. Trace amounts of snow. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. Up to 5 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 90 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. Trace amounts of snow. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
• Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
• Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.