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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 6th, 2023–Apr 7th, 2023

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

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Before committing to your line, check for signs of windslab instability like shooting cracks, or fresh avalanches.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, the South Rockies field team was out in the Crowsnest area, and reported good skiing, and very small, isolated pockets of thin windslabs right at ridge crests. See more details in their Mountain Information Network (MIN) report here.

A number of solar-triggered, loose avalanches up to size 1 were reported on Tuesday in steep, south-facing terrain.

If you have any observations from this region, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Dry, powder snow remains on shaded (northerly) slopes. Moist snow or thin crusts exist on solar slopes and all aspects below ~2000 m.

A buried melt-freeze crust exists in the mid-snowpack, down 50 to 120 cm from the surface.

A weak layer of sugary crystals at the base of the snowpack persists. This layer has not produced recent avalanche activity in this area, but professionals continue to monitor for signs of it becoming active.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Clear. No new snow expected. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at high elevations. Freezing level falling to around 1500 m. Treeline temperature around -2°C.

Friday

Mostly Sunny. No new snow expected. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at high elevations. Freezing level rising to around 2500 m. Treeline temperature around 2 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, with scattered flurries. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at high elevations. Snow line around 1500 m.

Sunday

Mostly sunny. No new snow expected. Moderate southwest ridgetop wind, trending to strong at high elevations. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to isolated alpine features as well as cross-loaded features at treeline.
  • Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.

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.