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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 17th, 2024–Feb 18th, 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, human triggered possible.
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

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

Before entering committing terrain, carefully evaluate if soft snow or old wind slabs are well bonded to the near-surface crust.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, west of Pincher Creek, explosive testing produced a couple of large (size 2) avalanches that failed on faceted snow above the early February rain crust.

Snowpack Summary

Recent moderate to strong winds have varied in direction, forming wind slabs on all aspects and at all elevations. In terrain sheltered from the wind, expect 30 to 50 cm over the thick rain crust that formed in early February.

Below this crust, the shallow, faceted snowpack is generally well consolidated.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Clear. No new snow expected. Light southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Sunday

Partly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light southwest ridgetop wind, possibly northwest in the south half of the forecast area. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. No new snow expected. Light variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -4 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m in the south half of the forecast area.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy. 0-2 cm of snow expected. Light variable ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.

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.