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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 12th, 2024–Dec 13th, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
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.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Assess steep terrain for wind slab and ride one at a time.

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

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday explosive control in the region triggered numerous wind slab avalanches up to size 2. These avalanches were on south and southeast aspects at treeline and in the alpine. A few of them ran on the crust described in the snowpack summary.

Snowpack Summary

Snow at higher elevations is heavily wind effected, with deeper deposits on east facing slopes, and west facing slopes may be scoured. Wind slabs may sit over a crust, hard wind affected surfaces or surface facets (weak crystals).

A melt freeze crust exists near the base of the snowpack, reports suggest it is currently not a problem for the region.

Treeline snow depths are typically 50 to 80 cm, with deeper wind-loaded pockets in the alpine.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mix of clear skies and cloud. 10 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Friday

Mostly Sunny. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow expected. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.

Sunday

A mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of snow possible. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.

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.