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 11th, 2017–Dec 12th, 2017

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

Regions

South Rockies.

Seek sheltered terrain and shady aspects for decent riding conditions. Watch for signs of instability if the sun comes out.

Confidence

Low - Due to the number and quality of field observations

Weather Forecast

Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures near -1 and freezing levers 1200 m. Ridgetop winds light from the west. Alpine temperature inversion exists.Wednesday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Alpine temperatures near -1 and freezing levels 1400 m. Ridgetop winds light from the west. Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Alpine temperatures near 0 degrees and freezing levels 1000 m. Strong alpine temperature inversion expected. Light west winds.Check out the Mountain Weather Forecast for more details.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanche activity has been observed.

Snowpack Summary

A variety of snow surfaces exist throughout the region. Stiff wind slabs sit on a wide range of aspects in the alpine and exposed treeline terrain. Windward slopes  have been scoured down to the old rain crust or rock and sun crusts have formed on southerly slopes from the sun and recent warm temperatures. Sheltered treeline and below treeline slopes may have a light dusting of low-density snow that intermingle with surface hoar and surface facets. This is what I call a mixed bag!!The two crusts that were buried near the end of November can now be found approximately 30 cm and 60 cm down. A third crust from the end of October exists as a "facet/crust" combo near the base of the snowpack. Snowpack testing in the adjacent Kananaskis Country forecast region has yielded hard but sudden results on this layer.Average snowpack depths at upper elevations in the region range from about 50-100 cm.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.