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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 10th, 2024–Dec 11th, 2024

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

Regions

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

Watch for changing conditions as you gain elevation and exposure to wind.

Best riding conditions will be found in wind sheltered terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Explosive control on Monday produced size 1.5 wind slab avalanches. These slabs may still be triggerable by riders in some features.

Observations are limited, please submit to the MIN network if you head into the backcountry.

Snowpack Summary

Snow at higher elevations is heavily wind effected, with deeper deposits on east facing slopes, and west facing slopes may be scoured. Wind slabs may sit over a crust, hard wind affected surfaces or surface facets (weak crystals), but reports suggest they are stubborn to human triggering.

A melt freeze crust exists near the base of the snowpack, reports suggest it is currently not a problem for the region.

Treeline snow depths are typically 50 to 80 cm, with deeper wind-loaded pockets in the alpine.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Thursday

Mostly sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Friday

Partly cloudy with possible flurries. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.
  • Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.

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.