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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 1st, 2022–Dec 4th, 2022

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

Regions

Waterton Lakes, Waterton.

There are turns to be had in the alpine but ski quality diminishes the lower you go. Watch for early-season hazards.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Isolated natural and human-triggered dry loose avalanches were observed Thursday. Poor visibility limited alpine observations.

Snowpack Summary

20-60cm of new snow at the start of the week, with the larger accumulations falling on the north side of the park. This snow has fallen with light winds and is largely unconsolidated. Storm snow overlies a variety of old surfaces including facets, crusts, and windslab. Below treeline it is still below threshold in many places. A spotty crust exists at the bottom of the snowpack in deeper locations in the alpine and at treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday

Winds increasing in the afternoon with ridgetops forecast to be 80km/h. Temps will increase as well with a high of -10. Partially cloudy with a possibility of light flurries.

Saturday

Strong winds continue with temps rising to -5 during the day. Partially cloudy today.

Sunday

Temps continue to rise to just below freezing. Winds will be light to moderate with Broken skies.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.