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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 11th, 2024–Dec 12th, 2024

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

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Flathead, Lizard, Moyie, St. Mary.

Watch for changing conditions as you gain elevation.

The best riding conditions will be found in wind sheltered terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity has tapered off quickly since the storm. Explosive control on Monday and Tuesday produced size 1.5 wind slab avalanches. These slabs may still be triggerable by riders.

Snowpack Summary

Around 30 cm of wind affected snow sits over a mix of crusts, surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, and hard wind-affected surfaces. Reports suggest the recent snow is bonding well with the layers below. Low elevations received mostly rain while higher elevations received wet snow or mixed precipitation.

There have been a lot of great MIN reports in the last week from throughout the Lizard Flathead area.

The middle of the snowpack is generally expected to be well-settled and stable. Total snow depths vary from 100 to 150 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Sky clearing overnight with no snow expected. 5 to 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8°C.       

Thursday

Mostly sunny with no snow expected. 5 to 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11°C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow possible. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8°C.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 15 cm of snow expected. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

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.