Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West, Flathead, Lizard, Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies.
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
Wednesday: Near Fernie, two large (size 2) avalanches were triggered with explosives at 2100 m. These failed on buried surface hoar 30 cm deep.
Tuesday: There were several small natural wind slab avalanches from steep headwalls near Fernie.
Snowpack Summary
A small amount of soft 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. In most areas, the snowpack has no weak layers. Except for one location in the Lizard Range, where the crust disappears around treeline and a layer of surface hoar was found. This layer hasn't been found elsewhere in the Lizard Range.
The snow depth at treeline is 50 to 150 cm, with the deepest snowpack near Fernie. Snow depth decreases rapidly at lower elevations.
Weather Summary
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow, west alpine wind 35 km/h, treeline temperature -8 °C.
Friday
A mix of sun and cloud with a dusting of snow, west alpine wind 20 to 35 km/h, treeline temperature -9 °C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow, southwest alpine wind 35 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature -10 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with a dusting of snow, north alpine wind 10 to 25 km/h, treeline temperature -13 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.