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

Feb 26th, 2023–Feb 27th, 2023

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

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Expect to find variable wind affected surfaces at all elevations.

Strong southwest winds continue to strip away snow, creating wind loading on north and east facing slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, a few machine accidental wind slab avalanches were reported, up to size 1.5. A few small natural wind slab avalanches were also observed in the alpine.

On Friday, wind slabs were reactive to human traffic and explosive control, up to size 1 on all aspects.

Please post your field observations and photos on the Mountain Information Network. The information is beneficial to forecasters and fellow backcountry users.

Snowpack Summary

Snow continues to be redistributed by southwest winds, forming fresh wind slabs at higher elevations. Exposed slopes at treeline and above may be stripped back to hard surfaces.

A melt-freeze crust with facets above, sits 50 to 100 cm deep. This crust could be a good sliding surface for avalanche activity. We are monitoring this layer going forward as it may become a persistent problem.

In general, we are not seeing the same basal weak layers that many of the neighboring regions are experiencing this season.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries, 2-5 cm accumulation. Westerley ridgetop wind 40-60 km/h. Freezing levels drop to the valley bottom. Alpine high of -9 °C.

Monday

Partly cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Southwest ridgetop winds 20-30 km. Alpine high of -8 °C. Freezing levels 800 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with isolated flurries, 2 cm accumulation. Light southwest ridgetop winds. Alpine high of -10 °C. Freezing levels valley bottom.

Wednesday

Partly cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Light southwest ridgetop winds increase to strong through the day. Alpine high of -9 °C. Freezing levels valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep your guard up at lower elevations. Wind slab formation has been extensive.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.