Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 1st, 2023–Feb 2nd, 2023

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, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Akamina, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Avoid steep, open terrain features where wind slabs may be lingering. Use ridges or ribs to descend to a lower line that avoids a wind-loaded entry point.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported. Wind slabs may linger directly lee of ridges and high points at alpine and treeline elevations.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Strong to extreme winds continue to build isolated, hard wind slabs at alpine and treeline elevations. Above 2100 m these wind slabs are building over wind-affected surfaces, below this a melt-freeze crust formed in mid-January.

The mid-snowpack continues to settle and is well consolidated. Facets exist near the base of the snowpack. Total snowpack depth ranges between 100 cm to 200 cm in wind-loaded areas.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, and trace accumulation, westerly winds 40 to 50 km/h, treeline temperatures -11 °C.

Thursday

Clear skies, no new snow, strong to extreme westerly winds of 50 to 60 km/h, and treeline temperatures of -5 °C.

Friday

Mostly clear, increasing clouds overnight, flurries with 2 to 5 cm of new snow starting in the evening/overnight, southwest winds 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperatures -2 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, flurries 2 to 4 cm of new snow, southwest winds 30 to 40 km/h. treeline temperatures -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

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.