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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 25th, 2024–Dec 26th, 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.
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.

Watch for newly formed, reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Explosive control work, on the Alberta side of the region, produced wind slab avalanches up to size 1.5 on Monday.

No new avalanches were reported on Tuesday,

Looking forward to Wednesday, new snow and wind may form small but reactive wind slabs in lee areas.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5 cm of new snow overlies wind-affected surfaces at the treeline and above. Hard wind slabs have formed in lee and cross-loaded terrain.

In the upper snowpack, a melt-freeze crust and facets exist, particularly in south-facing terrain. Winds likely have scoured recent snow, leaving the crust exposed on the surface in exposed areas.

Snowpack depth varies significantly across the region. Windward slopes may have as little as 50 cm of snow, while leeward slopes could have up to 200 cm

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 30 to 90 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 30 to 60 km/h southwest wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.

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.