Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 7th, 2024–Dec 8th, 2024

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

The wind may just be stripping the snow, but if it's landing on the slope it's forming a wind slab. The best and safest riding will be on low-angle, sheltered slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported since Wednesday, but it is suspected that there were some small wind slabs that failed on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10 cm of new snow from Saturday is being redistributed by westerly wind. Scouring the west side and forming wind slabs in leeward areas.

There is a melt-freeze crust near the base of the snowpack, but it generally appears to be stable and is not currently expected to be a problem for the region.

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

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 5 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy in the morning, clearing through the day. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature dropping to -8 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny. 20 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • 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.