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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 8th, 2022–Dec 9th, 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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Wind slabs may be reactive in the alpine and at treeline while more sheltered areas may harbour weak layers deeper in the snowpack.

Keep your terrain choices conservative and assess conditions as you travel and you should be able to find good riding.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new natural avalanches reported in our region. Some small size one avalanches were produced by focusing ski cutting and explosives toward wind slabs.

Looking forward, expect wind slabs to be reactive to ridder-triggering. If an avalanche is triggered, it may trigger weaker layers further down in the snowpack, producing an even larger avalanche.

We have very limited observations in the field. If you do get out please consider contributing to the MIN.

Snowpack Summary

The top layer of the snowpack consists of up to 15 cm of new low-density snow which has accumulated over the last five days. The wind has transported much of this snow with strong northwesterlies earlier in the week, switching direction to the west-southwest and calming down to moderate. The slight warming trend has also added to the likelihood of building wind slabs in the alpine and at treeline. This snow overlies a previously heavily wind-affected surface in open areas and many windward slopes may have been stripped of much of its snow.

Buried 40-60 cm down lies a weak layer comprising of surface hoar and facets. This layer has been shown to be reactive in snowpack tests.

Further down the snow is sugary and faceted with a rain crust near the ground.

Total snowpack depths at treeline elevations are 60-90 cm.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy with some sunny periods, 2 cm accumulation, winds southwest 30 km/h, temperature -4 C at 1500 m.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud, 4 cm accumulation, winds southwest 25 km/h, temperature -5 C at 1500 m.

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods, up to 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 20 km/h, temperature -4 C at 1500 m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, trace accumulation, winds southwest 15 to 20 km/h, temperature -5 to -3 C at 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.