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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 3rd, 2024–Jan 4th, 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, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

It's a great time to get up high in the backcountry.

Remember to practice good travel habits, watch for signs of instability, and assess for wind loading as you go.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported on Wednesday.

On Tuesday there were several small natural wind slab avalanches from steep headwalls near Fernie.

Snowpack Summary

A small amount of new snow sits over crusts on solar aspects, wind-affected snow, and well-settled powder.

The snowpack contains a couple of thick, hard crusts buried 10 to 20 cm and 30 to 70 cm deep. Below, the snowpack has no significant weak layers.

The snow depth at treeline is 50 to 130 cm, with the deepest snowpack near Fernie. Snow depth decreases rapidly at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy, 0 to 1 cm, west alpine wind 35 km/h, treeline temperature -6 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy, 1 cm of snow, west alpine wind 35 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud, 0 to 5 cm of snow, northwest alpine wind 20 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, 5 to 10 cm of snow, southwest alpine wind 20 to 45km/h, treeline temperature -9 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
  • Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.

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.