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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 15th, 2022–Jan 18th, 2022

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

Regions

Waterton Lakes.

Refrozen surfaces are making for supportive, fast skiing until valley bottom where it becomes breakable crust. Sharpen your edges.

Weather Forecast

Sunday: Cloudy with isolated flurries, alpine high -6. Winds moderate SW, FL valley bottom.

Monday: Cloudy with isolated flurries, alpine high -4. Winds strong SW, FL valley bottom.

Tuesday: Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, alpine high -7 low -14. Light E winds. FL valley bottom.

Snowpack Summary

Freezing levels on saturday rose to 1900m. A 15 cm rain crust exist up to 2000m. A 1 cm temp crust exists to 2400m on solar aspects. Alpine surfaces range from hard windslab in lees and to bare ground. Well settled midpack. Facets above Dec 4 crust down 150-200 cm. A 20-60 cm thick Nov MFcr complex completes snowpack to ground.

Avalanche Summary

Evidence of previous cycle (Jan 8-12), with avalanches from size 2 - 4 can still be seen in most avalanche paths. No avalanches observed in the last two days within park as a result cooling temps. Thanks to everyone posting on the Mountain Information Network, keep up the great work, we really do read them.

Confidence

Due to the number of field observations

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.