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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 15th, 2023–Dec 16th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

It remains possible to trigger a thin wind slab in steep alpine terrain. Keep in mind there are still lots of early season hazards due to a thin snowpack.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

A few small (size 1) wind slabs were triggered by riders on Friday, otherwise, no notable avalanche activity has been reported in the past few days.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 60 cm of dry snow sits above a rain crust. The greatest amounts are likely around Fernie, but any leeward terrain could have deeper deposits due to the recent southwest wind. Reports suggest the snow is bonding well to the crust. You may also find a thin crust near the surface in some areas. The lower snowpack was rain-soaked and has slowly refrozen. Typical snowpack depths at treeline are 75 to 130 cm, and taper rapidly below treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mainly clear with no precipitation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday

Mostly sunny with no precipitation, alpine wind northwest 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny with no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -3°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.

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.