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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2023–Jan 5th, 2023

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

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Wind slabs can still be found in isolated features, like steep, rocky, lee terrain. Don't commit to a steep slope if it looks wind-affected or feels dense or stiff.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported in the area. The likelihood of rider-triggered avalanches has decreased but you could still trigger small wind slabs in isolated terrain features.

Snowpack Summary

A thin crust can be found on steep, sun-exposed terrain. Wind slabs are likely bonding, but may be lingering in isolated terrain like steep, rocky lee features. A hard melt-freeze crust below 2000 m is buried at variable depths between 0 to 20 cm depending on elevation.

The middle of the snowpack is generally consolidated and sits above weak, faceted snow near the ground.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear skies, with trace amounts of snow, 10 to 20 km/h west wind, treeline temperature -7 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy skies, increasing through the day with isolated flurries, 10 to 20 km/h west winds, treeline high temperatures -5 °C

Friday

Partly cloudy skies, trace amounts of snow, 20 to 30 km/h westerly winds, and treeline temperature - 5 ºC

Saturday

Partly cloudy skies, trace amounts of snow, 30 to 40 km/h southwest winds, and treeline temperatures - 5 ºC

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
  • Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind loaded snow.
  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.

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.