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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 11th, 2024–Feb 12th, 2024

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

Regions

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

Strong wind has whipped the new snow into wind slabs that are further downslope than normal.

Seek out sheltered terrain, it'll be the best riding and the safest.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

A rider accidentally triggered a small wind slab below treeline near Window Mountain on Sunday. The wind slab had formed further downslope than normal.

On Saturday explosive triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 3, failing on the crust layer, were reported in the south.

Snowpack Summary

New snow is being redistributed by moderate to strong southwest wind developing wind slabs over various layers of wind-affected snow, soft snow, and a thick rain crust. In sheltered spots, expect 20 to 40 cm over the crust.

Below this crust, the shallow faceted snowpack is generally well consolidated. There are two crust layers, one in the midpack and another near the base of the snowpack, that have been unreactive.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy with 0 to 7 cm of snow. 25 to 35 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday

Cloudy. 15 to 35 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 0 to 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday

Mostly clear skies. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind loaded terrain features.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

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.