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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2024–Apr 1st, 2024

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Waterton Lakes, Waterton.

Watch for changing conditions through different aspects and elevations with both the sun and wind this weekend. Windslabs will be most likely near ridgecrests and the new snow will slide easily on solar slopes once the sun comes out.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10 cm of new snow covers sun crusts on solar aspects and consolidated dry snow on polar aspects. Below this the March 21st crust exists everywhere except for polar aspects above ~2000 m. The Feb 3rd crust/facet weak layer is buried 60-120 cm deep. Below this, the snowpack consists of a mixture of settled snow and crust/facet layers to ground. Snowpack depths between 80 - 250 cm.

Weather Summary

Sat

Mix of sun and cloud with light SW winds. Alpine high of -3°C.

Sun

Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, no significant accumulation. Alpine high of -3°C and light to moderate northwest winds.

Mon

Mostly sunny, moderate to strong westerly winds. Alpine high of +2°C.

For more info: 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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.