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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 16th, 2025–Feb 17th, 2025

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.

For the best and safest riding, seek out areas of soft snow, untouched by the wind.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, there was a small (size 1.5) natural storm slab near Castle and a few small dry loose avalanches.

On Friday, riders triggered several small storm slabs and dry loose avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of low-density snow fell on Friday and Saturday, accompanied by light to moderate northerly wind.

The new snow overlies 20 to 40 cm of mostly faceted snow sitting on a weak layer from late January. The weak layer consists of a crust on sun-exposed slopes, and a layer of surface hoar or facets on all other aspects.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with 2 to 3 cm of snow. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C.

Monday

A mix of sun and clouds with 2 cm of snow. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Tuesday

A mix of sun and clouds. 15 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

Wednesday

Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Use appropriate sluff management techniques.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.