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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 12th, 2024–Jan 15th, 2024

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

Regions

Waterton Lakes, Waterton.

Watch out for a touchy persistent slab problem, most prevalent below treeline in steep, sheltered areas. Lots of hidden hazards exist below treeline. With continued cold temps the consequence of an accident will be large.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

One new natural avalanche observed above Little Prairie, suspect over 48h old. Two size 2 persistent slab avalanches were triggered remotely by the field team on Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 70 cm of storm snow overlies a facet and crust combo which exists in more sheltered areas. This overlies a melt freeze crust complex in the alpine and at treeline. Areas close to the divide have the best snow coverage.

Weather Summary

Sat

Clear skies, light NE winds. Temps will rise slightly with a high of -25, no precip.

Sun

Partially cloudy with light NE winds. Temp high of -22, no precip.

Mon

Clear skies, moderate NE winds. Temp will climb to a high of -20, no precip.

For more info see: Mountain Weather Forecast.

Problems

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.

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.